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.
Quantum
Van Dusen’s Hyperspatial Dimension Theory
Mind as Real Higher-Dimensional Space
Wilson Van Dusen argued that mind is not contained in four-dimensional space-time but is literally extended in higher spatial dimensions: a five-dimensional alpha mind of events, a six-dimensional beta mind of ideas and tendencies, and a seven-dimensional gamma mind of reflection. The brain is the lower physical anchor of this structure, and consciousness is the sharply differentiated segment of each level.
Wilson M. Van Dusen
What consciousness is
Mind is identical with operations in real spaces of five, six and seven dimensions; phenomenal awareness is the presence of contents in these spaces, and consciousness is their differentiation.
Mind and body
Alpha mind holds non-physical representations of the body, including changing brain patterns; because a brain pattern and its sensed object share a time date, repeated pairing gives the pattern the object's meaning. This anchors mind to body without reducing either to the other.
Mechanism
A generative rule from topology: an n-dimensional entity is a series of (n−1)-dimensional entities. A series of differently dated events has no physical counterpart, since any cut through physical happening yields a solid, so it must be mind.
Core claims
- Physical events are always four-dimensional, so a unity of differently dated events can exist only in mind.
- Awareness (having contents present) runs continuously from full to no differentiation, which dissolves the psychoanalytic picture of conscious and unconscious as separate regions.
- Whitehead's remark that thought halts before limitless complexity follows from defining consciousness as differentiation.
- Van Dusen offered extrasensory perception, which he thought otherwise unexplained, as confirmation.
Criticisms
The theory identifies mathematical dimensionality with ontological levels of mind without arguing for the identification, and it stratifies phenomenal character without explaining why any level should be felt at all.
Implications
- Survival beyond death: Possible
- Since mind lies mostly outside physical space-time and the brain is only its lower anchor, it follows from the view that mind need not end with the brain, though Van Dusen does not argue this here.
Related theories
Sources
- A Theory of Mind in Relation to Space (Master's thesis), Wilson M. Van Dusen (1949)
- A Dimension Theory of the Nature of Mind (Doctoral dissertation), Wilson M. Van Dusen (1952)
- Mind in Hyperspace, Wilson M. Van Dusen (1959)
- The Natural Depth in Man, Wilson M. Van Dusen (1972)
- The Presence of Other Worlds: The Psychological and Spiritual Findings of Emanuel Swedenborg, Wilson M. Van Dusen (1974)
- Just Beyond the Physical World, Wilson M. Van Dusen (2001)
- Unconsciousness, J. G. Miller (1942)
- The Serial Universe, J. W. Dunne (1934)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
