Philosophical zombie

A philosophical zombie is a hypothetical person without qualia. Qualia is the experiences and sensations that someone feels inside. For example, if a philosophical zombie was poked by a sharp object, they would not feel pain but react as if they did. They would not have any thoughts or emotions but they act as if they do. Philosophical zombies are used as thought experiments in philosophy of mind and philosophy of perception.  

 Related pages 
 Causality
 Consciousness
 Sentience

 References 

 Other websites 
 Online papers on philosophical zombies, by various authors, compiled by David Chalmers.
 Field Guide to the Philosophy of Mind 
 Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Zombies". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Category:Epistemology