What Is It Like to Be a Bat?

Name: What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
Author: Thomas Nagel

by Thomas Nagel

Nagel's famous essay arguing consciousness may be irreducibly subjective and science cannot capture all aspects

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About the author

Thomas Nagel

American philosopher whose essay 'What Is It Like to Be a Bat?' is the most read essay in the philosophy of mind, arguing that subjectivity is irreducible to physical description. The View from Nowhere examined the tension between objective and subjective perspectives. Mind and Cosmos controversially questioned Darwinian naturalism.

More by Thomas Nagel

The View from NowhereNagel's work on integrating subjective and objective perspectives on the world and ourselves
Mind and CosmosNagel's argument that physics alone cannot explain consciousness, life, mind, and values in the universe
Mortal QuestionsEssays on normality, mortality, consciousness, freedom, and the absurdity of the human condition
The Possibility of AltruismNagel's essays on egoism and altruism, examining why self-interest and concern for others seem incompatible