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Zombie

A philosophical zombie (or p-zombie) is a hypothetical human being that does not have phenomenal consciousness, yet who displays behavior that is indistinguishable from a human who does have consciousness. Most famously developed by philosopher David Chalmers in his book The Conscious Mind, the p-zombie is a modal argument against physicalism.

In this argument, if it is logically conceivable that a zombie or even a whole zombie world can exist in which the inhabitants do not experience any sensory qualia, and our world can also exist in which humans do experience sensory qualia, a logical contradiction exists and the physicalist view is therefore falsified.

Zombies in popular lore are reanimated dead bodies with no souls created by voodoo sorcerers by black magic, and are popular subjects in Hollywood horror movies.

Web Resources On Zombie

Zombies
Philosophical zombie (Wikipedia)
David Chalmers' Zombies on the Web

Book Resources On Zombie

The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory by David J. Chalmers
Zombies and Consciousness by Robert Kirk
Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness by Daniel C. Dennett

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