Big questions about consciousness

The Atlas records how every theory answers four questions. Pick one to see how the theories split, and why.

• Can AI be conscious?Could a machine have experiences? See how each theory of consciousness answers, from functionalism and IIT to biological naturalism and…
  • Yes or likely 108 29%
  • Possible or depends 103 27%
  • Uncertain 87 23%
  • Unlikely or no 78 21%
• Does consciousness survive death?Does the mind end with the brain? Compare how materialist, dualist, idealist and parapsychological theories of consciousness answer the…
  • Yes or likely 75 19%
  • Possible or depends 52 13%
  • Uncertain 28 7%
  • Unlikely or no 238 61%
• Could a mind be uploaded?Could scanning a brain into a computer preserve you? See how theories of consciousness answer the mind uploading question, from…
  • Yes or likely 92 28%
  • Possible or depends 63 19%
  • Uncertain 50 15%
  • Unlikely or no 118 35%
  • Not needed (consciousness persists anyway) 11 3%
• Does consciousness give life meaning or purpose?Is meaning built into the universe, or something people make? See how materialist, dualist, idealist and panpsychist theories of…
  • Cosmic or ultimate 121 32%
  • Humanistic only 196 52%
  • Uncertain 57 15%