What Is It Like To Be A Bat Analysis
What Is it Like to Be a Bat?
In his paper on What Is it Like to Be a Bat? Thomas Negal argues against reductional explanations of mind by appealing to the subjective perspective of phenomena by exploring the question of what would it be like to be a bat. This paper will attempt to explain Negal’s analysis and discuss how quantum theory may show how our perception and reality may both be subjective.
In his paper, Nagel argues that the analogies and theories frequently employed by scientists to explain the mind-body relationship fail because they do not account for consciousness in physical terms. Furthermore, no such theory can be found because “when we examine their subjective character it seems that such a result is impossible” (Negal 220). This is because phenomenon is subjective and connective inseparable from a single point of view and if an objective point of view is found it must abandon the original point of view. To show this relationship between “subjectivity and a point of view,” …show more content…
Negal uses the example of trying to explain what it would be like to be a bat. According to Negal, despite our ability to imagine what it might be like to have a bat’s physical features, it is impossible for us to really know what it would be like to have a bat’s consciousness. Despite this, it would be fallacious to argue that there is no unique consciousness experience in being a bat. As humans, our points of view are subjective and unique to us. Therefore, Negel concludes that if a reductive physical explanation of mind is to exist, then such a theory must explain both the objective and subjective phenomena as it relates to the mind. One major theme of Negal’s paper seems to be that the qualities of things in our phenomenal experience are subjective, but their objective qualities are not.
In Negal’s theory, humans may observe a phenomena one way and a Martian scientist may observe it another, thus the objective phenomena is the same but the perception is different. Yet, current quantum theory does not seem to support this position. In quantum mechanics, the double slit experiment seems to suggest that even a phenomena in its self is subjective. In this experiment, atomic particles individually fired at a double silted board resulted in an interference pattern. Yet, when the same test was conducted with one of the slits rigged with a detector to determine which slit the particles traveled through, the experiment resulted in a double bar pattern. This experiment shows, that although Negal was correct in asserting that human observation is subjective, it appears that phenomena in itself is subjective
also.
In his paper on What Is it Like to Be a Bat? Thomas Negal argues against reductional explanations of mind by appealing to the subjective perspective of phenomena by exploring the question of what would it be like to be a bat. This paper will attempt to explain Negal’s analysis and discuss how quantum theory may show how our perception and reality may both be subjective.
In his paper, Nagel argues that the analogies and theories frequently employed by scientists to explain the mind-body relationship fail because they do not account for consciousness in physical terms. Furthermore, no such theory can be found because “when we examine their subjective character it seems that such a result is impossible” (Negal 220). This is because phenomenon is subjective and connective inseparable from a single point of view and if an objective point of view is found it must abandon the original point of view. To show this relationship between “subjectivity and a point of view,” …show more content…
Negal uses the example of trying to explain what it would be like to be a bat. According to Negal, despite our ability to imagine what it might be like to have a bat’s physical features, it is impossible for us to really know what it would be like to have a bat’s consciousness. Despite this, it would be fallacious to argue that there is no unique consciousness experience in being a bat. As humans, our points of view are subjective and unique to us. Therefore, Negel concludes that if a reductive physical explanation of mind is to exist, then such a theory must explain both the objective and subjective phenomena as it relates to the mind. One major theme of Negal’s paper seems to be that the qualities of things in our phenomenal experience are subjective, but their objective qualities are not.
In Negal’s theory, humans may observe a phenomena one way and a Martian scientist may observe it another, thus the objective phenomena is the same but the perception is different. Yet, current quantum theory does not seem to support this position. In quantum mechanics, the double slit experiment seems to suggest that even a phenomena in its self is subjective. In this experiment, atomic particles individually fired at a double silted board resulted in an interference pattern. Yet, when the same test was conducted with one of the slits rigged with a detector to determine which slit the particles traveled through, the experiment resulted in a double bar pattern. This experiment shows, that although Negal was correct in asserting that human observation is subjective, it appears that phenomena in itself is subjective
also.