The question
Plants and fungi have behaviors: plants turn toward the light, some close their leaves when touched, fungi grow toward moisture. Doesn't that show they value certain things?
Behavior isn't consciousness
Having behavior isn't enough to have experiences. A thermostat turns on the heater when it's cold. A robot vacuum steers around obstacles. Nobody thinks they feel anything.
Confusing words
Some studies on plants and fungi use words like "language," "memory," or "communication." But in these studies, the words usually mean the same thing they mean in artificial intelligence: complex processes that can happen without any consciousness at all.
Reflex arcs
In animals, there are reflex arcs: when you touch something hot, your hand pulls away even before you feel pain. It's an automatic reaction that goes through the spinal cord without waiting for the brain.
There are systems that work like reflex arcs, but without the feeling part. Plants and fungi seem to work this way: physical and chemical reactions, with nobody feeling anything.
Why this matters
Sentient beings behave in certain ways because they feel: they avoid what hurts and seek what's good. In plants and fungi, there's no physical structure that makes feeling possible, like a centralized nervous system. And their behavior is well explained without assuming consciousness.
In short
- Behavior alone doesn't show there's consciousness.
- Words like "memory" in plant studies have a technical meaning.
- Plants and fungi work like reflexes, without the feeling part.