Andrew Dun - Zombie Rights - Singularity Summit 2012

Andrew Dun on Zombie Rights: http://2012.singularitysummit.com.au/2012/08/andrew-dun/
Presented at Singularity Summit Australia 2012: http://2012.singularitysummit.com.au
as part of National Science Week in Melbourne.

A discussion of the rights of sentient entities. Drawing inspiration from quantum complementarity, defends a complementary notion of ontological dualism, countering zombie hypotheses. Sans zombie concerns, ethical discussions should therefore focus on assessing consciousness purely in terms of the physical-functional properties of any putatively conscious entity.

Slides for presentation can be found on slide-share: http://www.slideshare.net/spinnn/zombie-rights

Andrew's research interest relates to both the ontology and ethics of consciousness. Andrew is interested in the ethical significance of consciousness, including the way in which our understanding of consciousness impacts our treatment of other humans, non-human animals, and artifacts. Andrew defends the view that the relationship between physical and conscious properties is one of symmetrical representation, rather than supervenience. Andrew argues that on this basis we can confidently approach ethical questions about consciousness from the perspective of 'common-sense' materialism.
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