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.
Quantum
Chalmers and McQueen’s Quantum Collapse
Consciousness as the Trigger of Quantum Collapse
Chalmers and McQueen revive the idea that consciousness collapses the quantum wave function, and they build it into a precise model by combining Integrated Information Theory with continuous spontaneous localization. Wave function collapse, they argue, is exactly the kind of causal gap in physics where consciousness could act, so it answers the causal-closure objection to property dualism. They present the result as a testable research program, not a settled view.
David Chalmers, Kelvin McQueen
What consciousness is
Consciousness, specified by a mathematical theory such as IIT's integrated information above a threshold, is what brings about collapse of the quantum wave function.
Mind and body
Consciousness causally affects the physical world through collapse. The authors say this fits both materialist views, where consciousness is a complex physical property, and dualist views, where it is a primitive property correlated with physical ones.
Mechanism
A collapse law: under the conditions specified by Φ, superpositions collapse according to the Born rule, modeled with continuous spontaneous localization dynamics.
Core claims
- The main philosophical case against property dualism rests on causal closure, the claim that physics has no gaps for a nonphysical consciousness to fill.
- Wave function collapse appears to be such a gap, and consciousness-collapse models are not obviously ruled out by known physics.
- Physicists reject consciousness collapse because it seems dualist, while philosophers reject property dualism because it seems to violate closure; taken together, neither objection rules out the combined view.
- A materialist version, with consciousness identical to Φ above a threshold, would involve an unusual fundamental physical law but nothing nonphysical.
Criticisms
The consciousness-collapse idea, taken seriously by von Neumann and Wigner, is now widely dismissed by physicists, and dualism is rejected by most philosophers. The model depends on a contested theory of consciousness (IIT) and on collapse being real.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Conditional
- On the IIT version, any system whose integrated information exceeds the threshold would be conscious and would cause collapse, whatever it is made of.
Related theories
Sources
- Chalmers and McQueen’s Quantum Collapse (Landscape of Consciousness), David Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen (2022)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
