synesthesia lxxxiii nagel qualia physicalism subjective functionalism subjectivity relativism perceiving eskimo illustrative dualism pragmatism multiverse sane bat verifying organism realities hallucinations confuse conscious interprets oneself zombies denoting bats inverted truths
what does nagel mean by the subjective character of experience
Subjective character of experience - wikipedia Subjective character of experience The subjective character of experience is a term in psychology and the philosophy of mind denoting that all subjective phenomena are associated with a single point of view ( `` ego '' ) . The term was coined and illuminated by Thomas Nagel in his famous paper `` What Is it Like to Be a Bat ? '' Nagel argues that , because bats are apparently conscious mammals with a way of perceiving their environment entirely different from that of human beings , it is impossible to speak of `` what is it like to be a bat for the bat '' or , while the example of the bat is particularly illustrative , any conscious species , as each organism has a unique point of view from which no other organism can gather experience . To Nagel , the subjective character of experience implies the cognitive closure of the human mind to some facts , specifically the mental states that physical states create . Contents ( hide ) 1 Subjective reality 2 Dual - subjective reality 3 See also 4 References Subjective reality ( edit ) This section possibly contains original research . Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed . ( May 2014 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Subjective character of experience implies that the perception of all things , concepts , and `` truths '' in the universe differs between individuals : we all live in different worlds , each of which may have things in common , because of our unique perspectives on our worlds . The only thing to which one can hold oneself is something one has experienced or perceived . Until someone has had an experience of something the object or concept within itself is not `` real . '' Someone in Africa is aware of the existence of fire and sees it but for an Eskimo who has never seen fire before the fire does not exist in the same way . The idea of the subjectivity of one 's `` reality '' also hints at an aspect of moral relativism , that each person 's opinions are the only things they can hold themselves to . Dual - subjective reality ( edit ) This section possibly contains original research . Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed . ( May 2014 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) A dual - subjective reality arises when an individual 's mind interprets information and , instead of creating only one interpretation that the conscious mind can make sense of , creates several . These differing `` realities '' then cause conflict in that individual who may confuse what is actually happening around them with alternative realities formulated in their mind . See also ( edit ) Dualism ( philosophy of mind ) Hallucinations in the sane Inverted spectrum Functionalism The map is not the territory Mary 's Room Multiverse Philosophical zombies Philosophy of mind Philosophy of perception Pragmatism Physicalism Qualia Synesthesia References ( edit ) Michael , L.A. The Principles of Existence and Beyond . 2007 Jump up ^ Nagel , Thomas ( 1974 ) What is It Like to Be a Bat ? The Philosophical Review LXXXIII , 4 ( October ) : 435 -- 50 . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Subjective_character_of_experience&oldid=805895772 '' Categories : Consciousness studies Self Subjective experience Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008 Articles that may contain original research from May 2014 All articles that may contain original research Talk Contents About Wikipedia Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 18 October 2017 , at 09 : 32 ( UTC ) . About Wikipedia