Topics Knowledge

Question I was wondering if Nagel's argument in "what it is like to be a bat" or the Qualia "Knowledge argument" can be used to prove that certain non physical knowledge can only be attained through experience? For example, could I say that I could read about being an enterpeneur, learn everything there is to know about running my own business but that there is certain knowledge I will only attain when I actually start my business? Thank you Mike

Accepted:
November 14, 2013

Comments

Good question. Of course we'd have to be very careful re: what we mean by 'non-physical' knowledge. For sometimes what people mean when they suggest 'you can't know everything about being an entrepreneur until you actually try it' is merely that there are various facts, bits of advice/wisdom, etc., that no one is likely to teach you in advance, that cannot be anticipated, etc., that you'll only come across and learn when you're acquiring experience in the activity -- but that on its own entails nothing about whether those facts are "non-physical." For a rough example, you might not be able to fully understand just how difficult the local tax code is for business until you try navigating it yourself for your own business, but that doesn't mean those facts about the tax code are non-physical in any way. In short: sometimes experience is necessary simply to acquire perfectly "physical," factual knowledge. But then again, there remains room for something else, the 'what's it like'-ness of it all. One of the early waves of response to Nagel's argument was precisely this, viz. just how far does that "what it's like" locution extend -- it's one thing to suggest there's something it's like to be a bat that we humans can never fully grasp or conceive, but is there something it's like to be one specific bat v. another? to be you, v. me? to be a golfer v. entrepreneur etc.? Perhaps -- or perhaps that locution just isn't/shouldn't be so fine-grained as to distinguish between individuals int his way, and is best applied across large types such as species. So this is a long-winded way of NOT answering your question -- only to suggest that perhaps there's nothing really "non-physical" to learn about pursuing various activities and that the "what it's like" idea isn't meant to be so fine-grained ...

hope that's useful!

ap