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.
Non-Reductive
Montero’s Incomplete Post-Physicalism
Consciousness as Physical, Within an Incomplete Physics
Montero holds that consciousness is physical and causally effective, but that our concept of the physical is too incomplete to explain it. She proposes recasting the mind–body problem as the question of whether mentality can be accounted for in a world that is fundamentally nonmental, rather than fundamentally physical.
Barbara Montero
What consciousness is
Consciousness is part of the physical world, real and irreducible to current physical concepts, brain states, or functional roles.
Mind and body
Montero treats experience as ultimately physical while rejecting its reduction to brain states or functional roles. The open question, in her framing, is whether mentality is fundamentally nonmental.
Mechanism
Montero offers no mechanism. Her principle is a reframing: replace the physical/nonphysical distinction with the mental/nonmental distinction, and ask whether mentality can be accounted for by nonmental phenomena.
Core claims
- Montero coined ‘the body problem’ for our limited understanding of what the physical is, by analogy with the hard problem of consciousness.
- Consciousness may be physical without being reducible to the concepts of current physics.
- Conscious experience is causally efficacious, so epiphenomenalism is false.
- Framing the debate as mental versus nonmental separates naturalism from ontological claims and could make the debate clearer and even resolvable.
Criticisms
Calling consciousness physical while conceding that the physical is poorly understood risks leaving physicalism with little content. Montero's call for a substantive hypothesis departs from deferential naturalism, the view that science alone settles what exists.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Uncertain
- Since Montero holds that we do not yet grasp what makes consciousness physical, the view gives no basis for deciding which artificial systems would have it.
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Since experience is ultimately physical on this view, there is no separate mind to outlast the body.
Related theories
Sources
- Montero's Incomplete Post-Physicalism (Landscape of Consciousness), Barbara Montero (2009)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
