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 › Eliminative
Blackmore’s “It’s All Models”
Consciousness Belongs to Models, Not to Beings
Susan Blackmore argues that physical things such as bats, brains, and people are not conscious; the predictive models they build are. There is something it is like to be any such model, namely whatever the model describes, and what we call our conscious self is one stable, complex self-model, so the felt line between conscious and unconscious processes is a delusion.
Susan Blackmore
What consciousness is
Experience is being a mental model. Every predictive model a creature or machine builds has something it is like to be it, given by what the model describes.
Mind and body
Blackmore traces the hard problem to one mistake: treating physical objects as the subjects of consciousness, which Thomas Nagel’s question ‘What is it like to be a bat?’ builds in. Brains build models, and experience belongs to the models, not to the brain or body.
Mechanism
Processes we call conscious are those connected to the current self-model; those outside it we call unconscious. Models seeming to ‘enter consciousness’ are models joining the self-model.
Core claims
- There is nothing it is like to be a bat, only something it is like to be the bat’s models of itself and its world.
- The search for neural correlates of consciousness can be abandoned; there are correlates of perception, memory, and thought, but none of anything extra.
- Questions like ‘Is a baby conscious?’ make no sense; the useful question is what models a baby can build.
- Current AI models are fleeting, so although there is something it is like to be them, it is nothing like human experience.
Criticisms
Saying every model is conscious amounts to a panpsychism of mental models, which sits oddly with an illusionist label. The theory also rejects the conscious/unconscious distinction that most consciousness science depends on.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Yes
- Any model built by an AI has something it is like to be it, but current AI models are too fleeting and unembodied for this to resemble human experience.
- Survival beyond death: No
- Since experience belongs to the models a living brain builds, it stops when the brain stops building them.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- The self is a model and consciousness a self-deception, which leaves no cosmic subject or purpose.
- Virtual immortality: Uncertain
- Artificial models would have experience on this view, but whether copying a self-model would continue a person is not addressed.
Related theories
Sources
- Consciousness: An Introduction (4th edition), Susan Blackmore
- What Is It Like to Be a Bat?, Thomas Nagel
- Blackmore’s ‘It’s All Models’ (Landscape of Consciousness), Susan Blackmore (2025)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
