Daniel Chamovitz - Are Plants Sentient?

To inquire whether plants are “sentient” sounds like pseudoscience but has become real science. What does a plant know? Plants can react to their environments, but can plants sense or feel? Can they remember long-term? Can they adapt and learn? Are plants intelligent? And are they in any sense aware?

Daniel Chamovitz is an American-born plant geneticist and the 7th President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[ptimal]

As a kid in michigan, i was addicted to the woods. I had to be out in the pines every day. Id wake up early, get my shoes on and run out there, i just loved it. But one day while out in a nice spot i was just overcome with awe at how beautiful it was out there. I sat down and rested my back against a tall pine, and just looked around in amazement. In that silence i realized i was actually feeling an intense "hum." It literally felt like the trees were emitting a powerful low hum, and it felt so good. I sat there aware of it and said to myself, "This is what perfect feels like." 30 yrs ago and ive never forgotten it. Ive since concluded that the trees were speaking to me, embracing me, filling me with something that they were emitting. Sounds kooky, but im convinced there's something to it.

[Jeff-ttwj]

The plants in the background are like “crap…they’re onto us”

[ct]

I've spent many years in the garden and I earnestly believe that plants have personalities. They are more attuned and responsive to their environment than most people.

[lotus.b.lazuli]

All life has a mind, I simply cannot fathom how it could be any other way. If you 'know' something, your mind is telling you that you 'know' that particular thing. I think as a human species, we seriously need to disassociate the 'mind' with 'brain'.

[Traderjoe]

Questions I had about this interview are, are there inter species communication between various plants? When the plant detects a pollinator, how quickly is it able to change its nectar to entice the pollinator? He mentioned that plants on either side react to the presence of a destructive beetle, is there a differentiation between plants of their own kind or is there any indication if there are changes in response to the beetle among plants of a different variety?

[ravingcyclist]

I have a bog garden of carnivorous plants. The Fly Traps not only sense for more than one hair touched, they will open the trap again if no movement is detected inside the trap. They also detect the sun location and orient the blooms is that direction. (Yes, the bloom just like other plants.) BTW: Excellent video!

[ItsEverythingElse]

The invasive vines in my yard "know" how to piss me off.

[cemerson]

The problem is projecting human concepts of sense (of taste, smell, sight) and the human concept of information processing (mental activity) onto other species rather than the other way around. As covered at around 2:15 there are other ways of biologically responding to environmental inputs without mental processing. Only a small part of human reactions or pro-actions involve any real mental processing. That may say something about our understanding of what mental processing even is —> it may just be evolutionary developed mechanisms

[_Mach]

Great video! @3:29 has this chemical ever been observed? Also, why say “smelling” ? Could it also be a different form of communication?

[_Mach]

11:46 could that be that because when we listen to the music we like we feel good and the plants sense or smell that. Isn’t there a study with speaking to plants negatively and then another plan positivity and the ones that got the positive reinforcement did better? Not sure if that was a real experiment tho.

[EugeneKhutoryansky]

Plants have the ability to react to an outside stimulus, such as responding with a chemical defense when they are being eaten by insects. However, even a brain dead human will respond in the same way, in that the body will exhibit a chemical defense when doctors try to harvest the organs for donation. However, without a functioning brain, there is no pain or consciousness present. The same is most likely true in the case of plants.

[garyphillips]

I hope Chamovitz really meant that he didn't mind stepping on grass or plants when it was a matter of course or simply necessary. I would hope that most people would avoid crushing any life form if it is a simple thing to avoid it and definitely not find satisfaction in the destruction. One of the factors in childhood development that leads toward bullying and aggression in adulthood is a lack of wonder and empathy toward nature which really should be nurtured by parents and society.

[jord]

Mowing the lawn just becomes a green-bath.

[SoulDelSol]

I give my plants consistency, consistent predictable schedules with light/dark, temperatures, and watering. I've had many for 15 years and they've grown enormous in my house. They're everywhere. I also put lots of different types near each other so they can compete and that seems to spur growth. Eventually they all find their spots in sun and share and none lose out

[Kritiker]

Dear Mr. Kuhn, Watching this episode about sentient plants, I'd rather think I'd found the end of the Internet than hear you report tomorrow that this was your final installment of Closer to Truth. 🙂On a serious note, I'm glad you covered this topic. I enjoyed it!

[ptcosmos]

8:14 I love your channel and your audience, I'm gonna comment on ALL your videos for years until I reach your level of subscribers.

[danielandrews]

I'd take the question a step further: do plants have SOULS???

Mycelia is the nervous system connecting them all, and unifying ALL Earthbound life!!!

Should each planet that hosts life be identified by its own unique mycelia?

[Bill..N]

Very good interview.. "Sentience" is not an overly vague word like the word "consciousness" certainly is, but AWARENESS is more precise.. Yes indeed, plants have an obvious awareness of their environment.. One opinion.

[dosgos]

That was an interesting interview! I bet Daniel is an avid gardener.

[bigcity]

Thank you for the new perspective and knowledge. Who knew ? This was great.