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 › Relational
Mitchell and Jennings’s Consciousness Needs a Subject
Consciousness as the Mode of Being a Subject
Kevin J. Mitchell and Carolyn Dicey Jennings argue that to be conscious is to be an experiencing subject: a living being with interests, an integrated self that persists through time. They define this subjecthood by relations (between subject and world, between levels of processing within the subject, and between past and future selves) rather than by any particular computation or biological substrate.
Kevin J. Mitchell, Carolyn Dicey Jennings
What consciousness is
Consciousness is a mode of being of a subject: an integrated, ‘enminded’ self with interests, continuity, and extension through time.
Mind and body
Subjects are living beings, and Jennings argues neuroscience points to an emergent subject that directs attention, defined in natural terms. Mitchell and Jennings hold that what matters is a pattern of relations, not the particular substrate.
Mechanism
Subjecthood as a relational structure: a self that does work to propagate its own dynamic organization into the future.
Core claims
- To be conscious is to be an experiencing subject, a living being with interests.
- Subjecthood requires continuity and temporal extension, not just a point of view at a moment.
- Conscious beings are ‘enminded’ selves, a deeper condition than embodiment.
- Phenomenal subjectivity rests on relations, not on specific computations or substrates.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Conditional
- Mitchell and Jennings suggest that artificial entities with the right relations, however implemented, might well be subjects capable of conscious experience.
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Since consciousness is the mode of being of a living subject that works to propagate itself, it ends when that self-sustaining organization stops.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- Meaning lies in the subject’s own interests, projects, and concerns, with no cosmic purpose implied.
- Virtual immortality: Uncertain
- Substrate neutrality leaves room for it in principle, but the view stresses a self’s continuity with its past and future, and Mitchell and Jennings do not say whether a copy would carry that continuity.
Related theories
Sources
- Mitchell and Jennings’s Consciousness Needs a Subject, Landscape of Consciousness, Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
