The Consciousness Atlas is an interactive web app that visualizes more
than 450 theories of consciousness. It is based on Robert Lawrence
Kuhn's 2024 paper,
"A Landscape of Consciousness". The Atlas maps theories that address phenomenal consciousness - the
subjective feel of experience, such as the redness of red.
What the Atlas is
The Atlas is a visual reference built on Kuhn's taxonomy. It presents
the full set of theories at once so you can explore the field visually
and open any theory to read its entry, like an encyclopedia with
structured entries. Each theory entry shows a concise identity line,
conceptual ground, suggested mechanism, empirical notes, implications,
and sources.
Why this exists
Consciousness is studied across disciplines - neuroscience,
philosophy, and sometimes spiritual or anomalous-state research.
Kuhn's paper collects and organizes hundreds of theories along a
spectrum from most physical to least physical. The Atlas puts that
organization into a visual form so readers, students, and researchers
can quickly see how different positions relate and where each theory
sits on the spectrum.
How it works
Theories are grouped into ten main categories, arranged by their
stance on the physical-to-nonphysical spectrum. Examples of categories
include Materialism, Non-Reductive Physicalism, Functionalism,
Quantum-based theories, Panpsychism, Monism, Dualism, Idealism,
Anomalous States, and Challenge Theories. The app shows the whole map
at once. Click any theory to read its structured entry, which includes
references to canonical sources and named thinkers.
Who it is for
- Students learning philosophy of mind and cognitive science
-
Researchers and lecturers looking for an at-a-glance comparative
resource
-
Journalists and writers who need a quick reference to the range of
positions
-
Curious readers who want a clear view of what people mean when they
talk about consciousness
What the Atlas does not do
The Atlas does not endorse or rank theories. It is a visualization and
reference based on Kuhn's taxonomy - collect and present, not judge.
It does not attempt to settle the hard problem of consciousness. It is
a tool for exploration and comparison.
A note from Kuhn
Kuhn explicitly states the project's purpose: "collect and categorize,
not assess and adjudicate." The Consciousness Atlas follows that
approach. The data and structure are derived from Kuhn's paper;
feedback and suggested corrections are welcome, but the app is a
visualization layer on top of Kuhn's work.
Kuhn was not involved in the design or content of the Consciousness
Atlas, other than his original paper, 'A Landscape of Consciousness,'
which is the sole source.
FAQ
What is phenomenal consciousness?
Phenomenal consciousness refers to subjective experience - the
qualitative feel of being aware, like the taste of coffee or the
redness of red.
How many theories does the Atlas include?
The Atlas visualizes over 220 individual theories, grouped into ten
broad categories.
Does the Atlas show which theory is true?
No. The Atlas presents theories neutrally. It is a map, not an
argument for any single position.
Is the Atlas academic?
The Atlas is based on an academic source - Robert Kuhn's 2024 paper,
"A Landscape of Consciousness" - and links to canonical sources
where available.
Summary
The Consciousness Atlas is a straightforward visualization tool: it
presents Kuhn's taxonomy as a single, explorable map and lets users
open individual theory entries to read structured, referenced
summaries. It is designed to make this complex field easier to survey
and to serve as a practical reference.
Dualism
Nida-Rümelin’s Subject-Body Dualism
Consciousness as a Non-Material Subject That Has a Body
Martine Nida-Rümelin argues that a conscious subject, the being that experiences, thinks, and acts, is neither identical to nor constituted by any material thing, although it has a body. Her view is stronger than property dualism but drops the Cartesian picture of a person made of body plus soul. She rests it on phenomenal essentialism, the cognitive independence of phenomenal and physical concepts, and the pre-reflective self-awareness built into every experience.
Martine Nida-Rümelin
What consciousness is
Consciousness belongs to an experiencing subject, identical with the person, whose phenomenal properties are ontologically basic and non-physical.
Mind and body
The person has a body, but the body is in no sense a part of her, and the person is not a composite of body and soul. Nida-Rümelin also denies that subjects can exist without a body, so the subject is not a ‘substance’ in the sense of something that depends on nothing else.
Mechanism
The argument from understanding: phenomenal concepts reveal the essence of experience and physical concepts do not, so the experiencing subject and its phenomenal properties are not physical.
Core claims
- A conscious individual is neither identical to nor constituted by any material thing, though it has a body.
- Knowing all physical facts does not amount to grasping phenomenal facts, because phenomenal and physical beliefs are cognitively independent.
- Phenomenal concepts give direct grasp of the essence of experiences, which physical concepts cannot reveal.
- Experience always involves pre-reflective awareness of oneself as an experiencing subject.
Criticisms
The view sits between property dualism and substance dualism, and its claims pull in two directions: phenomenal properties are ontologically basic yet emerge from physical substrates. Its main arguments depend on the contested inference from conceptual independence to ontological distinctness.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Uncertain
- Since subjects are not constituted by material things, building the right physical system does not by itself guarantee a subject, and Nida-Rümelin does not say what would.
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Nida-Rümelin holds that subject-body dualism does not imply that conscious subjects can exist without a body.
- Virtual immortality: Unlikely
- Because the subject is not constituted by its physical substrate, copying that substrate would not obviously carry the same subject over.
Related theories
Sources
- Nida-Rümelin’s Subject-Body Dualism, Martine Nida-Rümelin (2010)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
