From the Philosophy of Bat to Nonduality

Abstract

Revisiting the article of Thomas Nagel, What Is It Like to Be a Bat? as well as the hard problem of consciousness, the present article tries to identify a solution to the possible matter-consciousness dualism and to the irreducibility of consciousness to simple material processes. This possible solution has in view the Hindu metaphysics, namely Vedantic non-dualism and that of Trika school from Kashmir. According to the latter, everything is Consciousness that limits itself to become Self-conscious. What we perceive as our own consciousness is actually a monad - that is, a whole, which fractally and holographically represents the Whole of Absolute Consciousness. Not only do Indian philosophies have this nondualistic vision, but also a series of contemporary Western philosophies bring back the issue of panpsychism. Therefore, the Simulation Theory can be linked to Abhinavagupta’s theory of existential limitations (Kañcukas) and with the universe as a reflection (Vimarśa) of the Light of Supreme Consciousness.