An Author Attracts Unlikely Allies

In 1974 Thomas Nagel published a short essay arguing that the subjective experience of consciousness — what philosophers call the “qualia” — could not be fully reduced to the physical aspects of the brain. Enlarge This Image Janet Malcolm The philosopher Thomas Nagel of N.Y.U. That essay framed a landmark challenge to the materialist view of the mind that was then prevailing and helped cement Mr. Nagel’s reputation as one of the most incisive and imaginative of contemporary philosophers. But since the late October release of his latest book, “Mind and Cosmos” reviewers have given Mr. Nagel ample cause to ponder another question: What is it like to be...