Philosophical zombie

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In philosophy of mind, a philosophical zombie (or "p-zombie") is a being in a thought experiment that is physically identical to a normal human being but has no phenomenal experience. For example, if a philosophical zombie were poked with a sharp object, it would feel no pain, but would react just as a conscious human would. In other words, the being has full access consciousness but no phenomenal consciousness. The philosophical zombie is used in thought experiments about whether consciousness can be completely explained by facts about the brain and body. Philosophical zombie arguments are used against forms of physicalism and in defense of the hard problem of consciousness, which is the problem of accounting in physical terms for subjective, intrinsic, first-person, what-it's-like-ness experiences. Proponents of philosophical zombie arguments, such as the philosopher David Chalmers, argue that since a philosophical zombie is by definition physically identical to a conscious person, even...

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