Unlike animals, plants lack a central nervous system and a brain, which are essential components for experiencing pain in animals. Plants do not have specialized pain receptors, and their responses to environmental stimuli are fundamentally different from the way animals perceive and respond to pain. Uprooting a carrot or trimming a hedge is not a form of botanical torture, and you can bite into that apple without worry.
Plants do exhibit responses to various stimuli, such as changes in light, touch, and environmental conditions. These responses are often the result of complex biochemical and genetic processes that help plants adapt and survive. For example, when a plant is damaged, it may release chemical signals to attract predators of herbivores or initiate defense mechanisms.
While some argue that these responses indicate a form of awareness or sensitivity in plants, it is essential to distinguish between the ability to respond to stimuli and the subjective experience of pain as animals understand it. The current scientific consensus is that plants do not feel pain in the same way animals do because they lack the neurological structures necessary for such experiences.