Is Mereology Not a Guide to Conceivability?
Erkenntnis June 1, 2026 Daniel Giberman
The philosophical zombie argument holds that if we can conceive of a being physically identical to a conscious person but lacking consciousness, then such zombies are metaphysically possible, which would refute physicalism. This essay offers a new objection: the conceivability of zombies requires that consciousness facts be entirely independent of mereological (part-whole) and spatiotemporal complexity facts. However, this same premise also makes conceivable a version of panpsychism that is modally powerful enough to either render zombies inconceivable or break the link between conceivability and possibility. Either conclusion neutralizes the threat that zombies pose to physicalism.