I was rather hurt today: no one seemed to take any notice of the fact that I was wearing a carefully crafted fabric bat for Halloween, despite the fact that its gauze wings were flapping around lightly in a rather fetching manner. Perhaps people thought it polite not to remark? Perhaps they were trying to get their head around Thomas Nagel's wonderful essay "What is it like to be a bat?" Is it possible to imagine, or can one do no more that extrapolate from human experience - despite our unarguable difference from bats (no high frequency sound signals through which to interpret the world)? Can one ever bridge the gap between subjectivity and objectivity? Might one start by contemplating whether there's a difference between projecting perception and feeling onto a Halloween bat and one flying around outside (no, Nagel doesn't go there ...). So many missed opportunities, today ...
How rude of people not to admire this wonderful, handmade bat. I don't know this Nagel person but he should write a companion essay titled "What is it like to be a large gray cat?" (The answer is...it's amazing! Everyone should try it.)
ReplyDelete!!! Walter - you have always enjoyed taking a philosophical stance on things, especially if you can reduce them to sleeping, contemplating squirrels, and eating kibble.
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