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
Morrison’s Position Selecting Interactionism
Consciousness as a Particle Choosing Its Position
Colin Morrison proposes that the direct physical correlate of our experience is the wavefunction of a single rare particle confined in a tiny brain region, probably one neuron, which he calls ‘the cavity.’ Sensory signals, memory and emotion shape the amplitude of that wavefunction, and the particle's genuinely free choice of position, which is our choice, steers attention. Natural selection tuned this system until the wavefunction's pattern formed subjective images that mirror the stimuli on our sense organs.
Colin S. Morrison
What consciousness is
Our consciousness is the experience of one rare, probably compound particle in the cavity; the intensity of a quale is identified with the amplitude of that particle's wavefunction at a given position.
Mind and body
Interactionist: the particle's subjective choice of position registers as a position measurement at detectors lining the cavity, and that measurement shifts the brain's attention.
Mechanism
Position measurements of the particle at detectors trigger shifts of attention to matching locations; sensory intensity, memories and emotions raise or lower the wavefunction amplitude at those detectors in real time.
Core claims
- Adjusting the probability of the particle appearing at particular detectors is far easier for the brain than rewiring circuits.
- Unpleasantness increases the chance the particle lands far from its last position, adding useful randomness when behavior causes damage; pleasantness reduces it.
- A tendency to shift attention between similar qualia favored organisms in which the same stimulus frequency always produced the same quale.
- Since every particle is likely conscious, each one's choice of position places a tiny subjective effect in the experience of all others.
Criticisms
The theory needs a rare particle that has not been identified, plus mechanisms that keep exactly one such particle in a neuron-sized cavity.
Implications
- AI consciousness: Uncertain
- Every particle has some experience, but our kind of consciousness depends on an evolved cavity-and-detector system around one particle, and Morrison does not say whether artificial systems could build one.
- Virtual immortality: Unlikely
- Since the subject is a specific physical particle, it follows from the view that copying the brain's information would not carry that subject over.
Related theories
Sources
- The Blind Mindmaker, Colin S. Morrison
- Book review of Morrison's work, Jo Edwards (2017)
- Morrison’s Position Selecting Interactionism (Landscape of Consciousness), Colin Morrison (2016)
Explore all theories on the Consciousness Atlas
