If we assume Reductionism and Naturalism, the concept of the Zombie is a paradox.
The two premises I have just outlined are mutually exclusive to the premise “beings that are atom-by-atom identical to us… except that they are not conscious.”
That is like saying that there are two gears that mesh together, yet one one turns, the other does not. Paradox. There is no solving it. The only difference is the layers of complexity. We cannot, with only our own minds, find or prove prime numbers with many digits to them, but that doesn’t mean that they do not exist.
If you truly believe that there is no external, supernatural cause to consciousness, then Zombies are a true paradox that cannot exist.
Since an argument like this rests on several necessary premises, one should really just attack the one with the least support.
I have noticed that Eliezer favors synthetic over analytic arguments, but sometimes, the later is much more efficient than the former.
I have indeed used paradox incorrectly. Your latter definitions are more appropriate. My confusion arose from the apparent possibility, but I see now that ‘paradox’ would only be correct if my argument also still felt the existence of the zombie was possible.
However, I hope that despite that minor terminology quibble, you were still able to understand the thrust of my argument. If my argument is unclear from the line you quoted, it is worth noting that I explain it in the following paragraphs.
If we assume Reductionism and Naturalism, the concept of the Zombie is a paradox.
The two premises I have just outlined are mutually exclusive to the premise “beings that are atom-by-atom identical to us… except that they are not conscious.”
That is like saying that there are two gears that mesh together, yet one one turns, the other does not. Paradox. There is no solving it. The only difference is the layers of complexity. We cannot, with only our own minds, find or prove prime numbers with many digits to them, but that doesn’t mean that they do not exist.
If you truly believe that there is no external, supernatural cause to consciousness, then Zombies are a true paradox that cannot exist.
Since an argument like this rests on several necessary premises, one should really just attack the one with the least support.
I have noticed that Eliezer favors synthetic over analytic arguments, but sometimes, the later is much more efficient than the former.
I don’t understand, unless by “paradox” you mean “contradiction” or “nonsense” or “impossible”.
Apologies.
I have indeed used paradox incorrectly. Your latter definitions are more appropriate. My confusion arose from the apparent possibility, but I see now that ‘paradox’ would only be correct if my argument also still felt the existence of the zombie was possible.
However, I hope that despite that minor terminology quibble, you were still able to understand the thrust of my argument. If my argument is unclear from the line you quoted, it is worth noting that I explain it in the following paragraphs.