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
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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 › Philosophical
Hume’s Bundle Theory of Perceptions
The Mind as a Bundle of Perceptions
David Hume holds that the mind is nothing but a bundle of fleeting perceptions: vivid impressions and fainter ideas, linked by association, memory, custom, and imagination. Introspection finds particular perceptions and never a self, soul, or mental substance behind them, so personal identity and belief in external objects are constructions of the imagination.
David Hume
What consciousness is
Consciousness is the stream of perceptions itself. There is no further medium of awareness and no subject over and above the lively occurrence of impressions and ideas.
Mind and body
Hume declares the essence of mind as unknown as the essence of bodies and refuses to speculate about either. External objects as mind-independent causes are never given in experience; belief in them is a natural construction of the imagination.
Mechanism
The Copy Principle (every simple idea copies a prior simple impression) combined with association by resemblance, contiguity, and causation, through which vivacity passes from one perception to another.
Core claims
- Impressions and ideas differ only in degree of force or vivacity, the difference between feeling and thinking.
- Every simple idea derives from and resembles a prior simple impression, so ideas without such a source (substance, self, necessary connection) are confused or fictitious.
- Introspection reveals only particular perceptions, never a simple continuing self, so the mind is a bundle of perceptions.
- Belief is a more vivid, settled way of conceiving an idea, not an extra intellectual act.
Criticisms
The unity problem: if perceptions are distinct and separable, nothing explains why they are experienced as one stream, co-conscious for a single subject. Hume himself voiced this dissatisfaction with his account of personal identity.
Implications
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Since there is no soul or self-substance behind the bundle of perceptions, the view leaves nothing that could carry a person past the end of that bundle.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- Hume grounds belief and value in custom, sentiment, and the passions, and rejects metaphysical claims beyond experience.
Related theories
Sources
- A Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume
- An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, David Hume (1748)
- A Dissertation on the Passions, David Hume (1757)
- Hume’s True Scepticism, D. C. Ainslie (2008)
- Cognition and Commitment in Hume’s Philosophy, D. Garrett (1997)
- Stability and Justification in Hume’s Treatise, L. E. Loeb (2002)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
