a hypothetical being that is indistinguishable from a normal human being except that it lacks conscious experience, qualia, or sentience. When a zombie is poked with a sharp object, for example, it does not feel any pain. However, it behaves exactly as if it does feel pain (it may say "ouch" and recoil from the stimulus), but it does not actually have the experience of pain as a putative 'normal' person does.
P-zombies are a reoccurring topic in one of the books that I am currently reading. What are your thoughts? Could such a creature really exist? What test could we devise to distinguish between an actual conscious being and a zombie (if any)?
I dont think you could devise such a test. If it behaves like a human and if it's biologically identical to a human, how could you possibly work out a difference?
Though, I wonder, if it is poked with a knife and it doesn't feel pain, what does it feel? If it doesn't feel anything, how can it react accordingly to different sensations such as pleasure and pain?
The argument is that it's been "programmed" to respond 100% convincingly.
What's entertaining is to read how these experts are absolutely convinced zombies could exist, these experts are absolutely convinced zombies could not exist, and these experts are absolutely convinced the question itself is utterly pointless.
Location: no one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Achilles
The argument is that it's been "programmed" to respond 100% convincingly.
What's entertaining is to read how these experts are absolutely convinced zombies could exist, these experts are absolutely convinced zombies could not exist, and these experts are absolutely convinced the question itself is utterly pointless.
Experts
This sounds like something a p-zombie would be programmed to say.
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