Mr Spock & the mind meld (Nagel)

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Peter Clarkson

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Mar 17, 2024, 10:11:12 PM3/17/24

to VAPS VCE Network (The Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools), vapsco...@vaps.vic.edu.au

Hi everyone,

Understanding what it’s like to be a bat requires taking up the bat’s point of view (until we develop that new phenomenology) and that of course seems impossible.

Mr Spock is capable though, I guess he could mind meld with a bat... He does it with all kinds of alien creatures and even robots in the series. Might be an interesting example to explore in your classes, especially if you have a few Trekies in there.

Could we ever achieve this level of understanding of another being’s subjective conscious experiences?

Is this how high Nagel is setting the bar?

How far could we possibly get before we hit that wall he describes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5gYncqmyds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e8vbYPZlPE

Pete

Peter Clarkson

Learning Leader - Humanities

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