What Is It Like to Be a Bat?

What would life be like as a bat?

OK I realize this sounds ridiculous, but hear me out:

Bats navigate their environments with echolocation - that is, they emit sound and from its reflection determine how far objects are and even how fast they are moving. This ability is not quite the same as the human sense of seeing nor of hearing - it seems to have no parallel for a typical human being. Is it possible for us, as human beings, to truly know what it’s like to have the experience a bat would have as it echolocates?

Thomas Nagel’s essay is not just about bats - it’s about a broader question of subjectivity and objectivity, the question being: What does it mean to be objective about an experience which is intrinsically subjective? What do humans do when they try to become more objective? Is it possible to be truly objective?

In other words, can you really know what it's like to be in someone else's shoes?

Join the Syracuse Philosophy Meetup as we discuss the subjective nature of experience, and how we can square that with our notion of objectivity. The essay is relatively short and accessible to non-specialists so I highly recommend giving it a read before the session. I find Nagel to be quite interesting.

The 16-page essay can be found here:

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Nagel_Bat.pdf

NOTE: This session will take place on Sunday, not Saturday.

Have fun and happy thinking!

Hers