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.
Idealism
Bradley’s Absolute Idealism
Consciousness as Felt Unity Within the Absolute
F. H. Bradley holds that sentient experience is the sole reality. At its most basic, consciousness is ‘feeling’: an immediate, pre-relational whole in which differences are present but not yet split into subject and object, and from which self, body, nature and judgment are later abstracted. All finite centers of experience are partial appearances of one all-inclusive Absolute Experience.
Francis Herbert Bradley
What consciousness is
Experience is the ground matter of reality: to be real is to fall within sentience, and feeling, thought and volition are the only material of existence. Phenomenal consciousness is both the basic datum of Bradley's metaphysics and, transmuted and unified, the whole of what is real.
Mind and body
Body and soul are correlated appearances abstracted from one experiential whole, not two interacting substances. The mind-body problem looks insoluble only after both have been reified as independent things.
Mechanism
The regress argument against relations: if reality were independent terms joined by relations, further relations would be needed to tie the relations to their terms, without end. So unity is more basic than relation.
Core claims
- Bradley argues that reality cannot be externally related terms, since connecting relations to terms generates an infinite regress.
- Immediate experience is a felt whole prior to the distinction between subject and object.
- Objects, relations, bodies and selves are appearances: real, but partial and contradictory when taken as ultimate.
- This is not subjective idealism, because reality is not a product of any individual mind.
Criticisms
The Absolute is invoked as the necessary completion of finite experience, yet its positive character can be described only by analogies drawn from the finite consciousness it is said to transcend.
Implications
- Meaning and purpose: Cosmic/Ultimate
- Every finite experience, including error and evil, is transmuted into harmony within the one Absolute Experience.
Related theories
Sources
- Ethical Studies, F. H. Bradley (1876)
- The Principles of Logic, F. H. Bradley (1883)
- Appearance and Reality: A Metaphysical Essay, F. H. Bradley (1893)
- Essays on Truth and Reality, F. H. Bradley (1914)
- An Introduction to Bradley’s Metaphysics, W. J. Mander (1994)
- British Idealism: A History, W. J. Mander (2011)
- Emotion and Satisfaction in the Philosophy of F. H. Bradley, W. J. Mander (2018)
- Francis Herbert Bradley, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, S. Candlish (2021)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
