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.
Materialism › Higher-Order
Brown’s “HOROR” Higher-Order Representationalism
Consciousness as Representing One’s Own Representations
Richard Brown, working with Hakwan Lau, argues that phenomenal consciousness consists in having a higher-order representation that one is oneself having a certain first-order representation. Because one represents oneself as being in such states, it appears to one that one has conscious experience. The theory refines Rosenthal’s higher-order thought theory by targeting representations as such and making the higher-order state itself the bearer of phenomenal character.
Richard Brown, Hakwan Lau
What consciousness is
Phenomenal consciousness consists in instantiating a thought-like higher-order representation whose content is roughly ‘I, myself, am having this visual representation of red’.
Mind and body
Conscious states are representational states within cognitive architecture, so the mind-body relation is that of functional representations realized in the brain.
Mechanism
A higher-order representation of a representation as such, which makes a state conscious regardless of whether its first-order content is matched.
Core claims
- Phenomenal consciousness consists in instantiating a certain kind of higher-order representation.
- The phenomenal character of an experience is the intentional content of the higher-order representation.
- Targeting representations rather than their content answers the misrepresentation problem facing standard higher-order thought theory.
- Consciousness is always tied to cognitive access, which counts against claims of phenomenal overflow.
Criticisms
Overflow theorists argue that phenomenology outruns what we can cognitively access, which HOROR denies. Brown describes the higher-order representation as seemingly non-inferential yet also calls these representations cognitive and inferential, a tension in how the state is characterized.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Possible
- Since consciousness consists in a certain kind of higher-order representation within a cognitive architecture, a system with that architecture would in principle qualify.
- Survival beyond death: No
- Consciousness is a matter of representations realized in a working cognitive system, so it ends when that system stops.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- A functionalist theory of representation implies no cosmic purpose.
- Virtual immortality: Possible
- If the relevant representations were reproduced in another system, the theory gives no reason they would lack consciousness.
Related theories
Sources
- Brown’s ‘HOROR’ Higher-Order Representationalism, Landscape of Consciousness, Richard Brown and Hakwan Lau (2015)
- In Consciousness We Trust, Hakwan Lau
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
