Argument essay: Chalmers’ “Zombie”
| ← Human Factor Errors: Airline flight 1420 | The Impact of Fast Food on Population → |
The question of the connection between consciousness and body has bothered the minds of people, perhaps, since the day a human being identified itself as an individual. The religion representatives prefer to explain this problem as the body and soul dualism. The majority of philosophers and later scientists preferred to identify the mind with the brain. There were others like Rene Descartes who claimed that consciousness is something non-physical which can influence the material world; however, the question of how it is done was not answered. Today, a number of approaches to solve this problem exist in philosophy. One of them is the idea of D. Chalmers, who proves with a “zombie” argument that consciousness does not depend on the brain activity. I find his proof invalid since his premises can prove any argument; his reasoning is based on the idea of a metaphysical world that has no connection or influence on our physical world and cannot be a basis to explain it.
A mind-body identity problem is discussed by a group of theories of the philosophy of mind, which try to explain the question of what the source of human consciousness is. All theories can be divided into two groups. The first group – materialistic or physicalistic – asserts that the states of mind are identical to the states of a human brain, the processes in the human consciousness are identical to the processes in the brain, and, thus, consciousness is equal to the states of neural activity. Reductive materialism is based on the idea that everything can be reduced to something more simple. Since molecules can be reduced to atoms, the mind can be reduced to the brain. The main idea is that mind is entirely the result of brain activity and, therefore, the nature of mind is physical.
D. Chalmers is a representative of the dualistic philosophy, which rejects physicalism and asserts that mind is not a physical phenomenon, and it is not reducible to brain and its activity. Chalmers states that there are two problems in the philosophy of mind to be solved by the modern scientists. The “easy” one includes the analysis of the functions of consciousness like mental states or reactions – the control of behavior, the focus of attention, and the ability to react or categorize (Chalmers, 2010, p. 4). The author believes that the answers to these questions of how the brain works someday will be discovered and understood. The “hard” problem puts a question of how any physical system creates the experience and why the experience emerges while the brain processes some information (Chalmers, 2010, p.5).
- 95% of satisfied returning customers
- Free extras on your request
- 100% privacy guaranteed
- The largest source database
- Editors' approval
- Flexible discount program
- Certified writers only
- A wide range of services
- Plagiarism report
- Custom written papers only
- Customer support 24/7/365
- Free revisions upon request
The question of the experience origin is one of the main topics of his research. Chalmers’ “zombie” argument is directed to support his dualistic concept of mind and body. With this argument, he tries to prove that physicalistic ideas are wrong and that the nature of the consciousness is not physical. The argument is based on the idea of a “zombie” – an exact duplicate of a real human which has no experience; physically, a zombie is identical to a person, with the same reactions or behavior, but it does not know about it because it lacks consciousness. The argument states that since people are able to imagine a creature like a zombie, zombies are conceivable. If zombies are conceivable, then it is metaphysically possible for them to exist. If there is a world, identical to ours in all physical aspects, where creatures identical to humans live without consciousness, then consciousness is not the result of the activity of any physical object like a brain and is not a physical property. Thus, physicalism is false, and consciousness is not a result of the brain activity. If consciousness is not logically supervenient on the physical features, then materialism is wrong (Chalmers, 1997, p. 124).
Place an order
choose the service, give your requirements
Make a payment
We write
Receive and download
your paper
Revision request
(Within 48 hours if needed)
I believe that Chalmers’ argument fails since using the premises he proposes one can prove an opposite thing. In particular, Keith Frankish shows how it can be proved this way that consciousness is physical through creating an anti-zombie, which is the same physical copy of a human that exists in the same physical world like ours and has consciousness. The argument follows premises: 1) anti-zombies are conceivable; 2) if anti-zombies are conceivable, then they are possible; 3) if anti-zombies are possible, then consciousness is physical; 4) consciousness is physical (Frankish, 2007). This argument is a good example that shows that the conceivability of a particular thing does not mean that this thing can influence the real world or be an explanation for a phenomenon of a real world.
Since the nature and the origin of consciousness is still not discovered and no consciousness was artificially created till now, philosophers may bring any explanations and theories of its source, but none of them should be considered as absolutely truthful. Imagination cannot be regarded as a premise of a strong argument. Chalmers builds his argument on a premise of the existence of a metaphysical world that is conceived by the brain and exists only in the brain and is not able neither influence our physical world nor explain the processes in it. Thus, I think that Chalmers’ argument fails to prove that consciousness is non-physical or give an answer to what its nature and origin are.
Contact us with the request “Write my argumentative essay” and we will provide you with the brilliant paper!
- The Impact of Fast Food on Population
- Human Factor Errors: Airline flight 1420
- Death penalty Imposition
|
Marcus H.
Eugene, OR
|
|
|
You’ve done it again! Every time I order a paper from EssaysEmpire.com, you top the last one. This latest one was the best yet. I truly do appreciate the fact that you offer such high quality writing. It never fails. With some of the other writing services online, you ever really know what you are going to get. Sometimes, they just sell you a paper that someone else has already bought. I never have to worry about things like that happening when I use EssaysEmpire.com. |
||
|
Carolyn C.
Norman, OK
|
|
|
My paper was completed 3 days earlier than I had requested it. It needed no revisions and was much better than I had imagined. Thanks, EssaysEmpire.com! |
||
|
Judy C.
Bolingbrook, IL
|
|
|
I have used EssaysEmpire.com for two years now, and I wouldn’t even consider trying another writing service. I am convinced that there is no other service as good as EssaysEmpire.com, and I only want to work with the best. EssaysEmpire.com has given me well written papers that have come in well before their deadlines, every time. I am happy with EssaysEmpire.com and commit to sticking with them. |
||
|
Tom J.
Jackson, MI
|
|
|
Many thanks to your writers and customer service representatives for helping me get through a very difficult time in my college career. I needed writing assistance and your crew came through for me, big time! My papers were written impeccably. Thanks so much! |
||
|
Mark R.
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
I am so happy with my term paper. The writer did a spectacular job!! Thanks to the writing team and also to the customer service team. |
||
|
Mary R.
New York
|
|
|
Writer #48376 was very easy to work with. My professor made some changes to his requirements after he had assigned the paper. All I had to do was call your customer service and request to speak with the writer directly. Was able to relay the changes that my professor wanted, and he (writer #48376) accommodated them with no problem. I thought that was great. No headaches and perfect work. I couldn’t ask for a better experience! |
||
|
Joyce T.
New Orleans, LA
|
|
|
I was trying to choose between EssaysEmpire.com and another online writing service and I didn’t know which one to pick. Then, I began to read reviews. I didn’t read even one thing negative about EssaysEmpire.com, and the other site was fraught with complaints. I went with EssaysEmpire.com, and it turned out that all the good things I had read about the service were true. My paper was fully guaranteed, but it was A-1 quality. The customer service people were great. The prices were right. Now, I am a devoted fan. When I need help with my writing, I go straight to EssaysEmpire.com! |
||
|
Bruce R.
Tulsa, OK
|
|
|
Thanks for everything. You guys know how to write so well! I will call on you again in the future. |
||
|
Fred H.
Berkeley, CA
|
|
|
Thank you for doing what you do. You helped a lot of my friends, and now you have helped me. You provide a valuable service to students who need to get over writing hurdles. |
||
|
Kris K.
San Francisco, CA
|
|
|
I would like to say thanks to writer #48376 for doing such an astonishing job on my paper. I really gave him very little to go on. Still, he was able to do the research and come up with a champion paper for me. I am speechless. I didn’t expect anything nearly this good. |
||
|
Katy A.
London, England
|
|
|
Your writers are very good at what they do. I would recommend your service to anyone. It is impressive and it doesn’t cost too much. |
||
|
Greg C.
Atlanta, GA
|
|
|
Your writing service is phenomenal. I love the fact that EssaysEmpire.com is even open on Christmas day. You never close, and that tells me that you are dedicated to students like me who might need help over the holidays or any time. The work you do is superior to that of other writing services. I’d say that overall, one simply can’t beat EssaysEmpire.com. Thanks for all that you do for students like me. |
||
|
Billie N.
Atlanta, GA
|
|
|
EssaysEmpire.com is the only writing company that I can trust with my important writing projects. I have learned that I can count on your quality and ability without fail. Thank you, EssaysEmpire.com, for only hiring the best writers. I wouldn’t dream of using any other writing service. |
||
|
Mark M.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
|
The paper I ordered from EssaysEmpire.com is incomparable! Thanks for doing such stellar work. I have recommended your services to a few other folks who plan to try you out soon. EssaysEmpire.com gets my vote for best writing service every time. |
||
|
Emily H.
Norman, OK
|
|
|
My writer revealed to me that when he isn’t working for you, he is teaching at a major university. He also told me that a lot of the other writers who work for you are professors. That is impressive! No wonder I got an A+ on my paper! |
||
|
Cleo P.
Oakland, CA
|
|
|
I submitted my order as a ‘rush order’. I only had 2 days to get my paper finished and I just felt like I was sinking. I didn’t understand the material I was writing about, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. My friend recommended EssaysEmpire.com. I had very little lost by attempting to use this writing service, so I did. It was an excellent move on my part, because, not only was my paper finished on time. It was also excellently written. I will always be grateful to my friend for recommending your service. It is wonderful. |
||
|
Benjamin P.
Beaumont, TX
|
|
|
Thank you for your diligence! Your writers got it right down to the last word! I appreciate how closely they paid attention. |
||
|
Sarah H.
Brooklyn, NY
|
|
|
As always, I can count on EssaysEmpire.com to never let me down. I had to place an emergency order and was worried that I had not given the writer enough time to do a good job. I was wrong. They did a tremendous job! Thanks ever so much! |
||
|
Louise O.
Oakland, CA.
|
|
|
The A+ that I got on the paper that I ordered from you, helped boost my grade up an entire letter grade! Thanks, EssaysEmpire.com! |
||
|
David H.
New York, NY
|
|
|
I want to thank each writer who participated in helping with my large project. I know they spent a lot of energy turning out an admirable product, and I feel good for having hired them to take on this important project. EssaysEmpire.com is reputed as the best writing company on the Internet. Now, I know first hand, that you live up to that reputation. I could not have asked for a better deal. |
||