From Nazi Terror to Philosophical Heights: The Inspiring Journey of Thomas Nagel
Caroline pointed to her two-year-old son, stating their obligation to ensure his safety. Walter listened, and the couple emigrated to America with their child Thomas, just before the outbreak of war. Little did they know the impact their son would have on American academia in the years to come.
In 1933, Hitler rose to power in Germany, immediately implementing persecution and restrictions against Jews. Walter and Caroline Nagel, educated Jews, fled Germany to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where their son, Thomas, was born. By 1939, there were talks of an impending world war: Hitler aimed to conquer Europe and exterminate all Jews. Many were skeptical. Walter Nagel believed they were safe in Yugoslavia, far from Germany. Caroline pointed to their two-year-old son, expressing their duty to protect him. Walter heeded her words, and the couple emigrated to the United States with young Thomas, just before the war began.
They had no idea what an impact their little boy would make on American research years later. Thomas was drawn to philosophy and began his studies at Cornell University. He learned from some of the greatest philosophers of the past century. He completed his doctorate at Harvard University. For the next two decades, Nagel taught at the esteemed Princeton University, training great minds in the next generation.
Thomas Nagel began publishing research papers and articles at the age of 22. Now aged 86, he continues to publish books and articles. In 1974, he made waves by challenging materialism and reductionism. In his classic paper "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" published in a prestigious magazine, he argued against the view that the human mind is merely nature, calling it a distorted lie. Bats use sophisticated sonar – navigating through echoes of sound waves they emit. Just as humans have a visual experience that cameras can't replicate and a hearing experience that recorders can't match, bats perceive reality through sonar. In their consciousness, a mental image of the cave they navigate is formed, but we cannot grasp their experience, just as the blind can't comprehend the experience of sight. This demonstrates that conscious experience cannot be reduced to physical explanations. Only those who experience it can truly know it.
In 2012, Nagel intensified his challenge to academic norms with his book Mind and Cosmos, subtitled: "Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False."
Nagel argues that materialism fails to explain the mind and consciousness. Such "explanations" are misleading, causing harm to science. The debate is not only about the existence and essence of the mind but also about whether it could develop through any evolutionary process.
According to Nagel, false assumptions that consciousness and the mind are mechanical lead to scientific errors. For instance, materialists believe there's no difference among humans that isn't based on any theoretical physical distinction.
His books have faced a barrage of criticism. Liberal scholars across the U.S., supported by the establishment, have castigated him for daring to propose such "heretical" ideas... His immense contributions to philosophy, knowledge, and expertise were set aside. As long as he supports the view that the world isn't just nature, he is deemed worthy of persecution...
The face of "liberals".
