"What is it like to be a bat (or a thermostat)?" is too abstract for anyone to thoughtfully grasp. Instead try asking yourself "what is it like to be asleep?"

"What is it like to be a bat (or a thermostat)?" is too abstract for anyone to thoughtfully grasp. Instead try asking yourself "what is it like to be asleep?" or "what is it like to be waking up?" or "what is it like to be heavily sedated?" We all experience various gradients of consciousness every day as we do things like drift off to sleep or slowly gain consciousness in the morning. You don't have to try to imagine the experience of another primitive life form when you can just recall what there is or isn't to your own conscious experience as you drift between states.