Zombies and the Conceivability of Dualism

Zombies, in philosophical discussions, are hypothetical beings that look and behave exactly like humans but lack conscious experience or inner awareness. They highlight a challenge to dualism, which claims mind and body are separate. If zombies are conceivable—meaning they could exist without contradiction—then consciousness might be something that could be separated from physical processes. This raises questions about whether physical explanations alone can fully account for subjective experience, suggesting that mind and body might be fundamentally different.