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
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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 › Computational
Jackendoff’s Intermediate-Level Cognitive Representations
Consciousness as Intermediate-Level Mental Representation
Ray Jackendoff holds that we are conscious of one particular level of mental representation, the intermediate level between raw sensory data and abstract concepts. In vision this means shapes, contours, and spatial layout, not light intensities or object categories; what makes a representation conscious is its format, not its place in the brain.
Ray Jackendoff
What consciousness is
Consciousness is the presence of intermediate-level representations: structured, modality-specific formats that sit between low-level sensory processing and high-level conceptual structure.
Mind and body
Consciousness results from information processing at the computational-cognitive level, realized by neural representations. Jackendoff explains it by the type of representation involved rather than by a specific brain structure.
Mechanism
Only intermediate-level representations become conscious; low-level sensory processing and high-level conceptual structures stay unconscious.
Core claims
- We are conscious of shapes, contours, and spatial layouts, not of edge detection or of object categories as such.
- In language, we are aware of sound and meaning but not of syntax or phonology directly.
- Consciousness depends on how information is formatted, not only on what it is about.
- The theory is neutral about deeper mechanism and fits with both global access and integration theories.
Criticisms
The theory says which representations are conscious, not why that format should feel like anything.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Possible
- Since consciousness here depends on the format of information processing, a machine with the right intermediate-level representations could in principle be conscious, though Jackendoff does not take this up.
- Survival beyond death: No
- Consciousness is a product of information processing in the mind and brain, so it would not outlast them.
Related theories
Sources
- Jackendoff’s Intermediate-Level Cognitive Representations (Landscape of Consciousness), Ray Jackendoff (1987)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
