# Trees with gas = sentient beings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970 "2006-03-26T17:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/21 "2006-03-26T19:32:30Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Therefore, beans have souls, and it’s unethical to eat them. However, it is quite clear that if beans have spirits, they are distinctly malevolent ones. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/22 "2006-03-26T19:36:37Z")
**Fat Marrow** –if your GF _does it_, quietly agree with her. If she _does not do it_ (wink-wink-nudge-nudge), dump her. But irrational beliefs cannot be _reasoned out_, 'cause they weren’t _reasoned in_, in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/23 "2006-03-26T20:00:41Z")
> [@rwjefferson](#): > > I agree. Reflex is not consciousness. > > r~ Just a nitpick. Reflex implies a nervous system. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/24 "2006-03-27T02:01:35Z")
Don’t compost piles emit methane? Would your girlfriend suggest that a compost pile is a sentient being? What about a half of a compost pile? How about just a piece of a radish? I don’t think the argument is very strong. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/25 "2006-03-27T02:51:50Z")
So, are underground gas deposits sentient beings? Are oil refineries sentient beings? Are chemistry labs sentient beings? While it may be true that all farts include emissions of methane, it is certainly not true that all emissions of methane are farts. That your girlfriend did not come to realize this on her own makes me think she’s incredibly stupid. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/26 "2006-03-27T03:00:25Z")
Have her read this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315717). ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/27 "2006-03-27T04:54:28Z")
> [@Fat Marrow](#): > > 1. Plants feel pain and scream when cut. I have nothing to say on this point except that I said plants have no neural network to form a consiousness. I really have nothing to add but this does remind me of a great Jack Handey “Deep Thoughts” quote: "If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier in cutting them down? Well… we might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason". ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/28 "2006-03-27T05:44:41Z")
> [@Fat Marrow](#): > > You have also given me the best excuse for never buying another bunch of flowers, poor things! Cheers David Sex organs from a dead plant! You _shouldn’t_ have! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/29 "2006-03-27T13:55:10Z")
Old _WKRP_ bit: Johnny: In the spirit of Christmas, we killed a tree for you. ---
**Author:** ![Fat\_Marrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ebca7d/32.png) [@Fat\_Marrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Marrow)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/30 "2006-03-28T13:37:58Z")
Thank you all for your responses and for your your recommendations, but I will not be dumping my girlfriend on account of her illogical and irrational beliefs! It was her idea to post this question as she thought you’d all prove her correct so thanks for showing her up on that front! **Chronos** you were correct with the circular agument point. This one just goes down to her hippy tendencies that I can quite easily live live. Just wanted to appease her by posting the question to some rational and logical folk. I’m glad one of my posts has finally sparked debate! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/31 "2006-03-28T23:04:20Z")
> [@Fat Marrow](#): > > Thank you all for your responses and for your your recommendations, but I will not be dumping my girlfriend on account of her illogical and irrational beliefs! Still, if she doesn’t put out, you should dump her anyway. 😛😉😃 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970/32 "2006-03-29T00:29:54Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Sex organs from a dead plant! You _shouldn’t_ have! “Don’t you like flowers?” “Sure I do --I like children, too, but you don’t see me cutting their genitals off and sticking them up around the house.” W.C. Fields? Groucho Marx? Winston Churchill? I forget. A good 'un, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-with-gas-sentient-beings/349970.md?page=1)