[venediene]

Was thinking of John B. Watson etc

"..Psychology as the behaviorist views it is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is the prediction and control of behavior. Introspection forms no essential part of its methods, nor is the scientific value of its data dependent upon the readiness with which they lend themselves to interpretation in terms of consciousness..."

>>If a zombie is by definition different from a human being then there must be a physiological difference between a zombie and a human being, even if we don't have the knowledge to specify what that difference is"

The point maybe that, for example, that a concept residing in the mind, having been acted on and being a composite integration of previous action [experience] along with the characteristics of how it is uniquely mind-integrated within and for the mind and for the individual, along with the potentials it facilitates [many of which exist as possibilities not acted on], that the totality of inner forces that restrict or inhibit an outcome maybe larger in scope than the outcome itself in some sense. In the case that consciousness were the product of more-so inhibitory action, and the inhibitory aspects were "magic" in the context of the modern understanding of what makes a mind do what a mind does, and the inhibitory forces were some type of useful "noise", then the zombie wont have the unique noise. The noise could be excess computational capacity in a way, imagination maybe, that let loose might threaten self, otherwise kept orderly by minding the body-vehicle, or requirements associated with.

There maybe an argument that language, as it works with word-concepts, is not all tightly structured and operates with structures of the brain that make it so by straightforward neuro or neurochemical activity, as in like a set of circuits performs some processes, and the processes are for sure localised in brain regions, for example as measurements of blood flow in the brain might persuade us is the case.

Representations maybe more activity of exclusion, which maybe more substantive than inclusion. Something is what it by way of what it is not, in-great-part, and what something is not is often not completely known, yet consideration of the unknowns can be made.

The "noise" maybe that which has not been experienced, a possible impinging force from external environment, an internally generated possibility, not known in any exactness, it might be death, a notion of mortality of self and others. Interactions to do with this. Point being that what is coming and when, can't be known for sure, and then there is the possibility of not wanting to know.

What would the zombie do with the paradoxical situation of both wanting to know and not wanting to know?

Consciousness may turn out to be the product of something paradoxical, paradoxical requirements. This may better explain the explanatory gap than limits of knowledge or cognitive limitations.

Possibly once explaining self to self and to others becomes a part of self, that self is not entirely localized within the mind and mind-body-vehicle of self. This means aspects of self reside elsewhere, which extends to non-human and non-organic things too in a way, but will keep with other human minds here.

It maybe the case that the zombie can't be physiologically exact because of the simple fact it does not and has not occupied the exact same space in time in relation to others. Both shared experience, unshared and limits of shared experience contribute to self.

Pinker, as recalled, cites a comedian with some joke about someone's partner [wife at home maybe] being replaced by an exact replica, and when guy gets home and says something like hello how are you, gets "who are you?" response.

Who are you indeed. A question that is with us birth to death. Not what are you, but who are you.

The who in the who are you doesn't reside strictly or entirely in any fixed way or fixed structures of mind, but is out there in some way.

The explanatory gap, or zombie gap, maybe a great driver of science.

Some light relief.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_FZVD5lsAw