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.
Anomalous
Khasho’s NDE-Enabled Field-Substrate Translation Model
Consciousness as a Field State Translated by the Brain
Joseph Khasho proposes that consciousness is an already-organized, field-level state of awareness that the brain translates and filters into local, embodied experience. He calls the model ‘I Think Therefore, I AM’ (ITTIA) and builds it on near-death experiences, arguing that their hyper-lucidity and claimed veridical perceptions show what awareness is like when the brain’s filter is relaxed.
Joseph Khasho
What consciousness is
Consciousness is a coherent, field-level organization of awareness, not confined to neural structures, that becomes individual when a locus of awareness couples with a biological body.
Mind and body
The brain is a translating and filtering substrate. Embodiment does not move consciousness into the head; it constrains and stabilizes where awareness is expressed so that the organism can act.
Mechanism
Field-substrate translation: the brain enforces locality, limits bandwidth, and hides awareness of its embedding in the wider field, so only a rendered subset of field-level organization reaches awareness for evaluation and action.
Core claims
- Near-death experiences show hyper-lucidity, expanded time, strong memory imprint, and a relocated sense of self, which Khasho reads as a further step on the dream-to-waking ladder.
- Veridical perceptions reported from vantage points outside the body indicate that the locus of awareness can move independently of the senses.
- Readiness potentials in Libet-type experiments reflect neural translation of upstream organization rather than decisions made before awareness.
- Lasting drops in death anxiety and shifts in values after near-death experiences are better explained by direct contact with a more fundamental state than by brain-bound models.
Criticisms
The model depends on the claimed veridical nature of near-death perceptions; if those claims fail, the field-level interpretation loses its main support. The readiness-potential data it reinterprets are also the data neuroscientists read as brain-initiated decision.
Implications
- Survival beyond death: Yes
- Since awareness exists at the field level and is only filtered by the brain, Khasho holds that it continues when bodily coupling ends, as near-death experiences suggest.
- Meaning and purpose: Cosmic/Ultimate
- Contact with the field-level state is described as more fundamental than embodied life and as producing lasting moral reorientation.
Related theories
Sources
- Khasho’s NDE-Enabled Unified Field-Level Model (Landscape of Consciousness), Joseph Khasho
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
