Head to head
Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism vs Tegmark’s State of Matter
Analytic Idealism and Tegmark’s State of Matter, compared field by field from their entries in the Atlas.
At a glance
- Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism belongs to the Idealism family in Kuhn's Landscape of Consciousness, Tegmark’s State of Matter to Neutral Monism.
- Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism treats consciousness as fundamental; Tegmark’s State of Matter treats it as emergent.
- On AI consciousness, Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “No” and Tegmark’s State of Matter says “Yes”.
- On life after death, Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “Likely” and Tegmark’s State of Matter says “No”.
- On mind uploading, Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “No” and Tegmark’s State of Matter says “Likely”.
- On meaning and purpose, Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “Cosmic/Ultimate” and Tegmark’s State of Matter says “Humanistic only”.
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The claim
In brief
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismAnalytic Idealism is a consciousness-only ontology asserting that phenomenal consciousness is fundamental, the singular primitive of reality. Everything else in nature, including the physical world and individual minds, is grounded in patterns of excitation or expressions of this spatially unbound cosmic consciousness.
Tegmark’s State of MatterTegmark proposes that consciousness can be understood as a specific state of matter, coined 'perceptronium,' which is defined by distinctive information-processing abilities. Starting from the premise that all existence is physical, the theory seeks principles that distinguish conscious, complex information processing from non-conscious processing.
What consciousness is
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismConsciousness is identified as the singular, spatially unbound, fundamental ontological primitive (cosmic consciousness).
Tegmark’s State of MatterConsciousness is identified as the subjective experience or 'feeling' that arises when information is being processed in certain complex ways, constituting the state of matter termed 'perceptronium'.
Big questions
Can AI be conscious?Differ
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismNoKastrup suggests conscious AI is a fantasy, arguing that consciousness is not reducible to computation or information processing that current computers perform. Consciousness is tied to fundamental phenomenal reality, not hardware function.
Tegmark’s State of MatterYesThe theory is strictly physicalist ('It's all physics') and defines consciousness as a state of matter achievable through complex information processing. Therefore, artificial systems can achieve this state in principle.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismLikelyBodily death is predicted to result in the cessation of the local boundary (dissociated alter), causing conscious inner life to expand back into the underlying universal consciousness. This is supported circumstantially by reports of near-death experiences (NDEs).
Tegmark’s State of MatterNoConsciousness is an emergent state of matter (perceptronium) of the physical brain. The irreversible death and dissolution of the physical substrate would entail the cessation of consciousness.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismNoConsciousness is not an algorithm or software program reducible to physical structure; therefore, uploading neural patterns (simulated continuation) would only result in a functional duplication ('deep fake') lacking true subjective experience.
Tegmark’s State of MatterLikelyIf consciousness is a specific informational state of matter defined by mathematical/physical principles, that state could potentially be perfectly duplicated or uploaded into a non-biological medium by advanced technology.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCosmic/UltimateAs consciousness is ultimate reality, existence is fundamentally grounded in mind/awareness, intrinsically providing meaning and purpose rooted in the singular, fundamental consciousness.
Tegmark’s State of MatterHumanistic onlyThe foundation in physics and mathematical structure typically suggests no ultimate cosmic purpose, consistent with deflationary physicalist views. The theory does not explicitly propose cosmic teleology.
Nature of mind
Ontology
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismIdealism (Modern analytic metaphysics)
Tegmark’s State of MatterPhysicalism / Monism
Mind and body
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismIndividual minds are dissociated alters of the cosmic consciousness. The inanimate physical world is the extrinsic view of thoughts and emotions within this universal consciousness, meaning a physical world independent of consciousness is a mistaken intellectual abstraction.
Tegmark’s State of MatterAn identity relationship is implied, where subjective experience (mind) is identified as a specific physical state (a state of matter/information processing).
Fundamental or emergent
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismPrimitive (Fundamental)
Tegmark’s State of MatterEmergent
Qualia
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismQualia are intrinsically real and fundamental, constituting patterns of excitation within the fundamental phenomenal consciousness.
Tegmark’s State of MatterQualia are implicitly the 'feeling' (subjective experience) associated with perceptronium's specific information processing configurations, formalized through four principles: information, integration, independence, and dynamics.
How it works
Mechanism
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismThe principle of dissociation, which localizes the unitary cosmic consciousness into seemingly isolated subjects (alters).
Tegmark’s State of MatterThe definition of perceptronium via the application of four distinct principles (information, integration, independence, and dynamics) to information processing in physical systems.
Where it is
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismUbiquitous; consciousness is fundamental and spatially unbound. Individual conscious subjects are localized boundary conditions (dissociated alters).
Tegmark’s State of MatterLocalized to physical systems (e.g., neural networks or arbitrary quantum systems) that achieve the specific information-processing criteria defining perceptronium.
What it does
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCausation is grounded in consciousness itself. The inanimate world is the extrinsic manifestation of universal mentation, while the brain serves to constrain or mediate individual consciousness.
Tegmark’s State of MatterConsciousness is crucial for information assessment and is viewed as functionally important for critical needs like caring for comatose patients or communicating with advanced AI. Causation is strictly physical.
Evidence and criticism
Testability
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismSpeculative/Conceptual. Testable primarily by demonstrating the incoherence or lack of parsimony of rival metaphysical theories and by predicting experiential outcomes in extreme states.
Tegmark’s State of MatterEmpirically testable
Tests so far
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCites neuroimaging of psychedelic states (rich experience correlating with reduced brain activity) to critique physicalist theories.
Tegmark’s State of MatterThe generalization of Integrated Information Theory implies relevance to IIT's measurement function (quantifying degrees of consciousness). The theory is intended to address concrete problems like assessing comatose patients and advanced AI.
Criticisms
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismThe main critical challenge is the 'decomposition problem': explaining how seemingly distinct phenomenal inner lives of subjects can arise within a fundamentally unitary phenomenal field. Also must reconcile the independence of the common external world from personal volition.
Tegmark’s State of MatterAs a generalization of IIT, it inherits existing critiques, such as the difficulty in explaining subjective feeling purely through physical and informational principles.
Sources
Key sources
Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism
- An ontological solution to the mind-body problem (2017)
- The universe in consciousness (2018)
- Analytic Idealism: A Consciousness-Only Ontology, Dissertation (2019)
Tegmark’s State of Matter
- Consciousness is a state of matter (2015)
- Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality (2014)