What is it like to be a bat?

We live in a world of animated films where talking animals go through the same problems as us. So, it is no wonder we imagine that they think/feel in a way that is similar to ours. But what if we are completely wrong? We assume that creatures experience the same consciousness as us because we use our perspective to decide what their perspective may be. Can we answer the question “what is it like to be a bat?” without using our own perspective? This piece discusses the ideas that were originally presented in Thomas Nagel’s “What Is It like To Be A Bat.” The purpose of including this particular piece was twofold. First, being back on the farm this year, I have been forced to make friends with bats. They have literally crawled in my bed (just once though), flown through our kitchen, been an unpleasant surprise under blankets and not to mention the whole COVID-19 thing. Then, I read Nagel’s work and saw my unwelcome visitors in a whole new light. Nagel’s piece reminded me of the ideas of Nietzsche about truth and illusion. My commentary on his work takes the discussion one step further and adds another layer of “what if” possibilities while analyzing Nagel’s thesis.