It is Possible To Experience “What It Is Like To Be A Bat” - But There Is A Catch

Summary

The B-Man Stra/Tac model proposes that consciousness is not a product of complex brain activity but resides in a single cellular structure called the organon. Drawing on Nagel's philosophical arguments about subjective experience and Penrose's interpretation of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem, the paper explores the implications of this hypothesis through a thought experiment: transplanting human consciousness into a bat. The scenario examines whether such a transfer would allow a human to authentically experience bat life, considering memory, identity, and functionality under both conventional and alternative theories of consciousness. The model challenges dominant neuroscientific views by locating consciousness in a discrete biological unit rather than emergent neural processes.

Study at a glance

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.