It is Possible To Experience “What It Is Like To Be A Bat” - But There Is A Catch
PsyArXiv Preprints June 15, 2025 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | B-man stra/tac Dynamic algorithms/consciousness system Theory of consciousness Consciousness theory Bat consciousness Consciousness transfer Neuroscience research Sensory perception |
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness resides in a single cellular structure, the organon, challenging the view that it emerges from complex brain activity. |
Abstract
This paper explores an alternative model of consciousness—the B-Man Stra/Tac model—which challenges the dominant view that consciousness emerges from complex brain activity. Drawing on the philosophical arguments of (Nagel, 1974) and theoretical considerations inspired by Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem as interpreted by Penrose (Howard, 2025c), this model proposes that consciousness resides in a single cellular structure, the organon. The implications of such a hypothesis are examined through a speculative scenario involving the transplantation of human consciousness into a bat. The thought experiment assesses whether such a transfer could enable a human subject to authentically experience life as a bat, addressing issues of memory, identity, and functionality within the constraints of both conventional and alternative theories of consciousness.