thomas nagel：what is it like to be a bat(整理版)

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1、THOMASNAGEL：WhatIsItLikeToBeaBatFromthePhilosophicalReview83,no.4(October1974),pp.435-50.THOMASNAGELThomasNagel(1937-)isaprofessorofphilosophyatNewYorkUniversity.HispublicationsincludeThePossibilityofAltruismandMortalQuestions.Consciousnessiswhatmakesthemind-bodyproblemreallyintractable.Perhaps

2、thatiswhycurrentdiscussionsoftheproblemgiveitlittleattentionorgetitobviouslywrong.Therecentwaveofreductionisteuphoriahasproducedseveralanalysesofmentalphenomenaandmentalconceptsdesignedtoexplainthepossibilityofsomevarietyofmaterialism,psychophysicalidentification,orreduction.1Buttheproblemsdeal

3、twitharethosecommontothistypeofreductionandothertypes,andwhatmakesthemind-bodyproblemunique,andunlikethewater-H2OproblemortheTuringmachine-IBMmachineproblemorthelightning-electricaldischargeproblemorthegene-DNAproblemortheoaktree-hydrocarbonproblem,isignored.Everyreductionisthashisfavoriteanalo

4、gyfrommodemscience.Itismostunlikelythatanyoftheseunrelatedexamplesofsuccessfulreductionwillshedlightontherelationofmindtobrain.Butphilosopherssharethegeneralhumanweaknessforexplanationsofwhatisincomprehensibleintermssuitedforwhatisfamiliarandwellunderstood,thoughentirelydifferent.Thishasledtoth

5、eacceptanceofimplausibleaccountsofthementallargelybecausetheywouldpermitfamiliarkindsofreduction.Ishalltrytoexplainwhytheusualexamplesdonothelpustounderstandtherelationbetweenmindandbody--why,indeed,wehaveatpresentnoconceptionofwhatanexplanationofthephysicalnatureofamentalphenomenonwouldbe.With

6、outconsciousnessthemind-bodyproblemwouldbemuchlessinteresting.Withconsciousnessitseemshopeless.Themostimportantandcharacteristicfeatureofconsciousmentalphenomenaisverypoorlyunderstood.Mostreductionisttheoriesdonoteventrytoexplainit.Andcarefulexaminationwillshowthatnocurrentlyavailableconceptofr

7、eductionisapplicabletoit.Perhapsanewtheoreticalformcanbedevisedforthepurpose,butsuchasolution,ifitexists,liesinthedistantintellectualfuture.Consciousexperienceisawidespreadphenomenon.Itoccursatmanylevelsofanimallife,14thoughwecann