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 › Computational
Awret’s Holographic Correspondence Theory of Consciousness
Consciousness as the Holographic Dual of Entangled Neural States
Awret borrows the holographic principle from quantum gravity to explain how mental states could be identical with brain states that look nothing like them. In the AdS/CFT correspondence, a space is fully determined by entangled degrees of freedom on its boundary, and Awret proposes that massively entangled neural correlates of consciousness could play the boundary role, with consciousness constituted the way that space is. He calls this a naturalist theory that replaces ‘strange metaphysics with strange physics.’
Uziel Awret
What consciousness is
Consciousness is an exotic phase of matter, constituted by entangled neural correlates of consciousness the way an AdS space is constituted by the entangled degrees of freedom of its boundary field theory.
Mind and body
Mind and brain are related as the two sides of a holographic duality, which gives radically different descriptions of one system. Awret argues this loosens the link between identity and necessity, so things that seem completely different can be in some sense identical.
Mechanism
Holographic correspondence. Neural correlates of consciousness, massively entangled for biologically relevant durations, serve as the boundary field theory whose dual is consciousness.
Core claims
- In AdS/CFT, a space’s properties are fixed by entangled degrees of freedom on its boundary, which gives a recipe for building smooth spacetime from quantum information.
- Susskind’s ER=EPR proposal suggests that space and suitably entangled qubits are in some sense identical.
- Puzzles about fusing minds, splitting minds, and uploading minds resemble the problems of fusing, cutting, or uploading space.
- Awret claims the approach addresses structural mismatch, mental causation, and the conceivability argument without changing core physics.
Criticisms
Awret calls the mechanism ‘admittedly very strange,’ and he notes that extraordinary theories must justify their approach and clarify what they explain. He separates his view from classical holographic brain theories such as Pribram’s.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Conditional
- It follows from the view that only systems with massive, sustained entanglement comparable to the brain’s, perhaps a large quantum computer, could host consciousness. Classical computers would not qualify.
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Since consciousness is dual to entangled states of the living brain, nothing in the view supports its continuing once those states are gone.
- Virtual immortality: Uncertain
- Awret argues that mind uploading raises identity paradoxes like those of uploading space itself, so the theory leaves it unresolved.
Related theories
Sources
- Awret’s Holographic Correspondence Theory of Consciousness (Landscape of Consciousness entry), Uziel Awret
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
