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 › Homeostatic
Sebastian’s Predictive Machine
Consciousness as Observer of a Predictive World Model
Jinesh K. Sebastian models the brain as a multi-layered feedback control system that predicts future states of a world model and corrects them against sensory data, driven by minimizing a scalar he calls ‘qualia potential’. Consciousness is an emergent process that observes this world model, feels changes in qualia potential, and can identify with a self-model inside it, much like the Seer (Puruṣa) of Sāṅkhya philosophy, except that it is not eternal.
Jinesh Kallunkathariyil Sebastian
What consciousness is
Consciousness is an emergent process that observes the brain’s predictive world model, experiences variations in qualia potential, and becomes the locus of experience when it couples with the self-model.
Mind and body
Consciousness arises from neurological processes in the predictive loop. Sebastian borrows the Sāṅkhya picture of a witnessing Seer but makes it a product of the brain rather than an eternal principle.
Mechanism
Qualia-potential minimization within a delayed error-integration loop. Surprise is reduced in two stages: sensory grounding resolves world-model mismatches, then qualia potential is optimized to guide future predictions and action.
Core claims
- The alpha integration window explains persistence of vision, and its lengthening explains motion trails and frame-like perception after psychedelics.
- Weighted multisensory fusion at the theta center accounts for the rubber hand illusion.
- Resonant modes in the predictive loop produce geometric patterns, akin to Chladni figures, reported in deep meditation and psychedelic states.
- Separating sensory grounding from qualia-potential optimization resolves the dark-room problem facing pure surprise minimization.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Possible
- Sebastian frames the model as a control architecture shared by minds and robots, so a machine built on the same predictive loop could in principle support consciousness.
- Survival beyond death: No
- Since consciousness here emerges from neurological processes and is explicitly not eternal, it ends with the brain.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- Consciousness serves prediction, control and motivation within the organism; the view assigns it no cosmic purpose.
- Virtual immortality: Possible
- If the predictive loop and its qualia-potential dynamics were reproduced in another substrate, the same process could follow.
Related theories
Sources
- The Predictive Machine: How Minds and Robots Build Reality from Within, Jinesh K. Sebastian (2025)
- A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness, Bernard Baars (1988)
- Rhythms of the Brain, György Buzsáki (2006)
- Whatever Next? Predictive Brains, Situated Agents, and the Future of Cognitive Science, Andy Clark (2013)
- The Free-Energy Principle: A Unified Brain Theory?, Karl Friston (2010)
- Free-Energy Minimization and the Dark-Room Problem, Karl Friston, Christopher Thornton and Andy Clark (2012)
- The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness, Mark Solms (2021)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
