(January 19, 2022 at 10:02 pm)emjay Wrote:(January 19, 2022 at 7:24 pm)polymath257 Wrote: So here is a related question: how do I know whether or not I am a zombie?Well I would say, if you experience anything then you're not a PZ... because a PZ just does not experience, full stop. So if you have any kind of mental experience... of the unity, continuity, sense of self, experience of time and changing perceptions etc... then you're not a PZ.
The question by polymath257 is badly formed. He isn't asking what the definition of zombie is.
He is in fact asking, "How do I know that I am experiencing anything?"
How is that determined?
How does the human determine that he is experiencing things? Is he the judge of himself? He might say "He isn't experiencing anything." which means that he might be wrong.
How does the zombie determine that he is experiencing things? Is he the judge of himself? He might say "He IS experiencing things." which means that he might be wrong.
There is this claim that you can have a person who does not experience anything and that it behaves just as any other human.
(January 19, 2022 at 10:02 pm)emjay Wrote: 1) 'seeing red' is the phenomenal aspect... consisting of let's say at the very least, the perception/illusion of an self/observor, and the experience of perceiving a colour in our visual field
2) the physical events of the environment interacting with our sense organs, in this case light interacting with the eyes, and the physical changes that causes in the neurons of the brain, is the physical/neural aspect.
It is my opinion that you can at least in theory have (2) without (1) and that in that case there would be no difference in the behaviour of the organism than if it had both (1) and (2)... and that such a being without (1) would be a philosophical zombie. I don't know how else I can say it.
How can you have 2 without 1?
