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
McGinn’s Brain Perception
Consciousness as Perception of One’s Own Brain
Colin McGinn proposes that all consciousness is perception of one’s own brain: pain is the perception of C-fibers firing, and seeing a dog is also perceiving a bit of your occipital cortex. The awareness is de re, so we perceive brain states without perceiving them as brain states, the way we see a block of atoms without seeing it as atoms.
Colin McGinn
What consciousness is
Mental states are identical to perceptual states of brain awareness: each experience is a perception of some brain state, plus awareness of other things when the state is about the world.
Mind and body
Mind stands to brain as seeing a dog stands to the dog: numerically distinct but closely entwined. McGinn notes the view fits materialism (pain as a brain state that perceives another brain state) and would also hold if pain were a state of an immaterial substance.
Mechanism
Perception understood as tracking: the mind registers and responds to the brain’s activity, so the two are reliably correlated and one could read the brain off the mind.
Core claims
- Pain is the perception of C-fibers firing rather than the firing itself.
- Brain awareness is de re, so we perceive brain states without perceiving them as brain states.
- Experience feels inner, and since the brain houses the mind, the brain is the best candidate for that inner object.
- Treating all mental phenomena as brain perceptions gives a uniform account of the mind’s nature.
Criticisms
McGinn anticipates the objection that people have minds while knowing nothing about brains, and answers that brain perception is de re only. Whether ‘perception’ can stretch to cover mere reliable tracking, with no experience of the brain as such, remains the main pressure point.
Implications
- Survival beyond death: Unlikely
- Since every mental state is a perception of the brain, a mind without a brain would lack the object of all its experience.
Related theories
Sources
- McGinn’s Brain Perception, Landscape of Consciousness, Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
