What's a Philosophical Zombie?

Question

According to philosopher David Chalmers, the "Philosophical Zombie" (which behaves exactly like a human being, but isn't conscious) is a key idea in the philosophy of mind; he claims it shows that consciousness cannot be physical.

Answer 1

David Chalmers idea of a philosophical zombie or p-zombie is a thought experiment (his hypothesis or theory) in the philosophy of mind (the relationship between the mind and body) that envisions an imaginary person that is physically identical to and unable to be distinguished from a normal person. However, the p-zombie would not have an awareness of their own internal or external existence, individual stance on their conscious experience (things currently happening to them), or any feelings or sensations of a normal (living) person. For example, if a p-zombie were to be stabbed with a knife, or anything sharp, it would not be able to physically (cognitively) feel the pain, but it would react / act / behave as it did feel being stabbed. This would include a verbal / auditory response. A p-zombie world would be identically the same as our world, but none of the p-zombies would lack any of the conscious experiences of a normal living human.