Consciousness research is advanced by integrating philosophical debates about qualia, the hard problem, panpsychism, and illusionism with empirical neuroscientific theories like Global Workspace Theory and Integrated Information Theory. Interdisciplinary approaches have improved theoretical clarity and empirical testability. The article also examines whether artificial systems could achieve conscious states, offering novel perspectives that bridge diverse frameworks to further the study of consciousness.
Three major Indian theories of consciousness—Advaita Vedānta, Sāṃkhya-Yoga, and Buddhist traditions—offer non-reductionist models that remain relevant to contemporary philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cognitive science. Advaita's non-dual self-luminous ātman, Sāṃkhya's dualistic passive puruṣas, and the Buddhist doctrine of anattā with a luminous, non-substantial mind each conceptualize consciousness beyond materialist paradigms. The article argues that these classical models, drawn from texts like the Upaniṣads and Yoga Sūtras, critically engage with modern issues such as the 'Hard problem' of consciousness, panpsychism, and self-illusion theories, and can transform global understanding of subjectivity and the self.