I understand that definition, which is why I’m confused for why you brought up the behavior of bacteria as evidence for why bacteria has experience. I don’t think any non-animals have experience, and I think many animals (like sponges) also don’t. As I see it, bacteria are more akin to natural chemical reactions than they are to humans.
I brought up the simulation of a bacteria because an atom-for-atom simulation of a bacteria is completely identical to a bacteria—the thing that has experience is represented in the atoms of the bacteria, so a perfect simulation of a bacteria must also internally experience things.
AIUI, you’ve got the definition of a p-zombie wrong in a way that’s probably misleading you. Let me restate the above:
“something that is externally indistinguishable from an entity that experiences things, but internally does not actually experience things”
The whole p-zombie thing hinges on what it means to “experience something”, not whether or not something “has experience”.
I understand that definition, which is why I’m confused for why you brought up the behavior of bacteria as evidence for why bacteria has experience. I don’t think any non-animals have experience, and I think many animals (like sponges) also don’t. As I see it, bacteria are more akin to natural chemical reactions than they are to humans.
I brought up the simulation of a bacteria because an atom-for-atom simulation of a bacteria is completely identical to a bacteria—the thing that has experience is represented in the atoms of the bacteria, so a perfect simulation of a bacteria must also internally experience things.