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.
Integrated Info
Resch’s Platonic Functionalism
Minds and Worlds as Platonic Computations
Jason Resch combines functionalism (a mind’s consciousness depends only on its functional organization) with mathematical Platonism (all mathematical objects, including every computation, exist). Since some Platonic computation simulates our universe and its observers, we could be those computations, so Resch drops the separate physical world and arrives at a ‘mathematical monism’ in which minds and physics emerge from computation.
Jason Resch
What consciousness is
Consciousness is fully defined by functional organization, and every functional organization exists as a computation among Platonic mathematical objects.
Mind and body
Neither mind nor matter is basic. Computation is the single neutral foundation from which both conscious minds and physical realities emerge.
Mechanism
Substrate independence plus Platonism: if substrate does not matter, a mind made of mathematics is as conscious as one made of matter, and all such minds exist.
Core claims
- A brain emulation is possible because all known physical laws are computable and accurate neuron models need no non-computable physics.
- Chalmers’s fading and dancing qualia and Zuboff’s partial visual cortex replacement arguments rule out an emulation that is conscious in a different way.
- Because the set of computations includes a full simulation of our universe, we cannot tell whether we are physical or Platonic, so Occam’s razor removes the physical world.
- Marchal, Standish, Müller, and Wolfram derive features of physics (quantum logic, the Schrödinger equation, simple probabilistic laws, the second law, relativity) from the assumption that observer states are computed.
Criticisms
The argument inherits every objection to functionalism and to mathematical Platonism, and its conclusion depends on both being true. Deriving known physics after the fact is weaker than predicting new observations, so the claimed falsifiability is contested.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Yes
- Resch argues that an emulation of a human brain must be conscious in exactly the same way as the biological brain.
- Virtual immortality: Yes
- Since functional organization fully fixes consciousness, a faithful emulation would carry the same mind and qualia.
Related theories
Sources
- Resch’s Platonic Functionalism, Jason Resch
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
