If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them?

Article: If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them?            
By: Michael Marder on the 28th of April, 2012 on "The Stone" forum of the New York Times 

In a recent article published by Michael Marder, author of “Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life” and professor of philosophy at the Univeristy of Basque Country, a relatively new question on the consumption of plants is discussed. Marder discusses a recent study conducted by the Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, which found that pea plants were capable of relaying biochemical messages to neighboring plants about stressful circumstances such as droughts. Curiously, plants that received these messages were able to better defend themselves and respond to the stressful situations that were experienced by the previous pea plants, therefore increasing their likelihood of survival. Marder continues to discuss whether or not it would be considered morally correct to consume “a being capable of processing, remembering and sharing information — a being with potentialities proper to it and inhabiting a world of its own.” He ponders our reactions to the slaughter of animals for food in comparison to the harvest of plants, and whether or not this curious insight into the realm of flora should alter our indifference towards the organisms.

In conclusion of his article, Marder recounts the story of “The Princess and the Pea.” He makes a valid point that we should not stress over the morality of consuming an organism capable of communication, or lose sleep over such a miniscule organism like the princess in the tale. Instead, the article brings about the issue of morality. Is it truly O.K. for us to kill and devour an organism capable of communication, memory, and processing information, simply because it does not have a central nervous system and is therefore void of feeling pain? The reason as to why society reacts to the suffering of fauna with empathy and compassion, and reacts with apathy towards flora is because animals are just like us. They have brains, hearts, lungs, and blood just like us, whereas plants have stems, leaves, and roots. As animals ourselves, we can relate to animals’ pain and anguish, and can comprehend their suffering. On the other hand, the world of plants is alien to us. It is an entirely different realm, one that is difficult to comprehend. We cannot know what plants feel and so it is impossible for us to feel empathy for them. 

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