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.
Dualism
Trialism
Consciousness Within a Three-Part Structure of Reality
Trialism names a family of theories that recognize three irreducible categories relevant to mind, rather than the one of monism or the two of dualism. John Cottingham reads Descartes as holding three primitive notions (mind, body, and their union, which grounds sensation and passion), while Karl Popper and John Eccles posit three interacting worlds and Roger Penrose links physical, mental, and mathematical domains. The third category does different work in each theory and need not be a third substance.
John Cottingham, Karl Popper, John Eccles, Roger Penrose
What consciousness is
No single identity claim. For Cottingham, sensation and passion are irreducibly psychophysical modes of the mind-body union; for Popper and Eccles, consciousness is World 2; for Penrose, it is the mental world that a small part of the physical world generates.
Mind and body
Cottingham’s Descartes treats embodied experience as belonging to the mind-body union, describable neither as pure thought nor as pure extension. Popper and Eccles hold that brain (World 1) and conscious experience (World 2) interact directly and reciprocally, and Penrose has the brain generate the mental world.
Mechanism
A third irreducible category whose role varies: psychophysical union for Cottingham, objective knowledge and culture for Popper, mathematical reality for Penrose. Trialism offers no single mechanism for consciousness.
Core claims
- Descartes distinguished three primitive notions (thought, extension, and the union), and Cottingham reads this as three kinds of property and three kinds of explanation.
- Sensations and passions are irreducibly psychophysical, reducible neither to pure intellect nor to mechanism.
- Popper divides reality into physical states, conscious experiences, and the objective contents of thought, with consciousness mediating between the other two.
- Penrose links physical, mental, and mathematical worlds in a triangle in which each contains a small part of the next.
Criticisms
The label covers theories whose third terms do quite different work, so trialism is a family resemblance rather than one doctrine. Cottingham’s reading answers Elisabeth of Bohemia’s challenge about how an immaterial soul moves a body only by naming the union as primitive, and the Popper–Eccles version inherits the usual problems of interactionism.
Related theories
Sources
- Cartesian Trialism, John Cottingham (1985)
- The Self and Its Brain, Karl Popper and John Eccles (1977)
- Sāṃkhya: A Dualist Tradition in Indian Philosophy, G. J. Larson and R. S. Bhattacharya (1987)
- Karma and Rebirth in Hinduism, S. Medhananda (2025)
- Sāṃkhya-Kārikā, Īśvarakṛṣṇa
- Brahma-Sūtra-Bhāṣya and Upaniṣad-Bhāṣyas, Śaṅkara
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
