The Mystery of Consciousness🧠: Why the Philosophical “Zombie Assumption”🧟♂️Is Misleading ❌ Could there be beings that behave exactly like humans on the outside but possess absolutely no inner experience, no true consciousness? In the philosophy of mind, David Chalmers’ concept of the “philosophical zombie” is a famous thought experiment. But does it hold up to neuroscientific and logical scrutiny? In our Zoomposium, we take a critical look at this myth. To claim that a biological “zombie” would behave identically to a conscious human being lacks any logical or empirical basis—it is about as contradictory as a square circle. Why the zombie assumption fails from a scientific perspective: • Consciousness has a clear function: Countless psychological experiments show that a conscious human behaves fundamentally differently from a system that acts purely unconsciously. Consciousness is not a useless byproduct (epiphenomenon). • The evolutionary spotlight: Our brain selectively activates consciousness as a tool. It becomes active whenever automated, unconscious processes reach their limits—that is, in completely new, complex, or life-threatening situations.
• The conscious self as interpreter: This ties in with our in-depth interview with the renowned neurobiologist and philosopher Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerhard Roth. His famous metaphor illustrates this interplay: Our conscious self is like a “government spokesperson” who interprets and legitimizes complex processes that have been prepared unconsciously. Yet it is precisely this conscious attribution that significantly alters how we act in and with the world. The notion that one could simply subtract phenomenal consciousness and human behavior would remain exactly the same ignores the functional necessity of our mind. What do you think? Is consciousness the indispensable guide of our flexible actions, or do we underestimate how much a purely unconscious “machine” could theoretically simulate? I look forward to your perspectives in the comments! 👇 📎 Information: https://philosophies.de/index.php/2021/12/05/wie-wirklich-ist-bewusstsein/ 📺 Interview: https://youtu.be/0LG4gU_jfik














