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 › Neurobiological
Calvin’s Darwinian Mechanism in Neocortex
Consciousness as the Winner of Cortical Darwinian Competition
William Calvin proposes that consciousness is ‘the current winner of Darwinian copying competitions in cerebral cortex’. Spatiotemporal firing patterns in the association cortex copy themselves with variation and compete for cortical territory, with memory, circumstance and goals biasing which pattern wins. The momentary winner sets the contents of thought and perception, and this fast in-brain evolution drives creativity and problem-solving.
William H. Calvin
What consciousness is
Conscious content is whichever spatiotemporal firing pattern currently dominates a Darwinian competition among cortical patterns.
Mind and body
Mental contents are self-organizing firing patterns in cortical circuits, explained at the level of cortical dynamics rather than chemistry or quantum physics.
Mechanism
The six features of a Darwinian process run in cortex: a pattern that copies with variation, populations competing for limited workspace, success biased by a remembered and real-time environment, and new variants centered on the winners.
Core claims
- Recurrent excitatory wiring in neocortex can support copying of spatiotemporal firing patterns.
- Competition among copied patterns, biased by memory and goals, selects the most coherent pattern for the present context.
- Recombining winning patterns lets the cortex refine half-formed ideas into good ones within seconds to minutes.
- Calvin rejects quantum accounts of consciousness as the ‘Janitor's Dream’, a leap from the sub-basement of physics to the penthouse of mind.
Criticisms
The mechanism explains how conscious contents are selected but not why a winning neural pattern should be experienced.
Implications
- Survival beyond death: No
- Since consciousness is a pattern of cortical firing, it ends when the cortex stops.
- Meaning and purpose: Humanistic only
- Consciousness is the outcome of a Darwinian process inside the brain, with no cosmic purpose.
Related theories
Sources
- The Cerebral Code, William H. Calvin
- Calvin’s Darwinian Mechanism in Neocortex, William H. Calvin (1998)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
