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Compare theories of consciousness
Pick up to 5 theories and read them side by side: what each claims, how it explains experience, and where they part ways on AI, death and meaning.
Or start with a well-known pairing
What a comparison covers
Each column comes from a theory's entry in the Atlas: its core claim, what it says consciousness is, its answers on AI consciousness, life after death, mind uploading and meaning, its view of mind and body, whether consciousness is fundamental or emergent, its account of qualia, the mechanism it proposes, where it locates consciousness, how testable it is, the tests run so far, the main criticisms, and key sources. Rows where all the theories give the same kind of answer are marked.
Written comparisons
- Panpsychism vs IdealismPanpsychism gives matter an inner life. Idealism makes matter a form of mind. Compare the two views, the Goff–Kastrup debate and the…
- Integrated Information Theory vs Global Workspace TheoryIntegrated Information Theory and Global Workspace Theory are two of the most tested theories of consciousness. Compare claims, evidence…
- Materialism vs IdealismMaterialism says consciousness comes from matter. Idealism says matter comes from consciousness. Compare how each explains the mind, the…
- Dualism vs MaterialismDualism says the mind is more than the brain. Materialism says it is entirely physical. Compare their arguments, objections and answers on…
- Orch OR vs Integrated Information TheoryPenrose and Hameroff tie consciousness to quantum events in microtubules. Tononi ties it to integrated information. Compare claims, tests…
- Illusionism vs PanpsychismIllusionism says the felt qualities of experience are a trick of introspection. Panpsychism finds experience in all matter. Compare…
Popular head-to-heads
- Orch OR vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Goff’s Panpsychism vs Orch OR
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Orch OR
- Goff’s Panpsychism vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism vs Orch OR
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Christian Soul Theory vs Orch OR
- Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Goff’s Panpsychism
- Chalmers’s Panpsychism vs Orch OR
- Goff’s Panpsychism vs Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism
- Christian Soul Theory vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Integrated Information Theory vs Orch OR
- Chalmers’s Panpsychism vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism
- Christian Soul Theory vs Goff’s Panpsychism
- Integrated Information Theory vs Spira’s Non-Duality
- Epiphenomenalism vs Orch OR
- Chalmers’s Panpsychism vs Goff’s Panpsychism
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Christian Soul Theory
- Goff’s Panpsychism vs Integrated Information Theory
- Buddhism vs Orch OR
- Bentley Hart’s Monism vs Chalmers’s Panpsychism
- Christian Soul Theory vs Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism