Full Idea
It is consistent with the physical facts about a mouse that it has conscious experiences, and it is consistent with the physical facts that it does not.
Gist of Idea
Nothing external shows whether a mouse is conscious
Source
David J.Chalmers (The Conscious Mind [1996], 2.3.1.4)
Book Reference
Chalmers,David J.: 'The Conscious Mind' [OUP 1997], p.103
A Reaction
No. It is consistent with our KNOWLEDGE of a mouse that it may or may not be conscious. I take this to be the key error of Chalmers, which led him to the mistaken idea that zombies are possible. The usual confusion of ontology and epistemology….