Ontological Diversity in Theoretical Physics and Its Significance for Consciousness Research
Chris Percy, Alfredo Parra-Hinojosa
Journal of Consciousness Studies October 1, 2025 DOI: 10.53765/20512201.32.9.183 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that theoretical physics contains 24 distinct ontological positions whose variety can be captured along eight axes, and that this variety implies consciousness theorists should adopt 'enlightened agnosticism' about physical ontologies, recognize that ontologically grounded arguments are by default weakened, and exploit a parallel between physical ontologies and philosophy of mind concerning intuition prioritization. |
Abstract
Many modern theories of consciousness seek to be consistent with prevailing scientific theories of the physical. While ontological flexibilities and current uncertainties in physical laws permit many options, it remains valuable to monitor evolving scientific thinking, generating new constraints and ideas for consciousness research. A structured literature review identifies 24 distinct ontological positions regarding theoretical physics. Significant variety exists across them, partially captured along eight axes: Substrate perspective; Property ontology; Property plurality; Dimensional ontology; Dimensional plurality; Allowed interactions; World plurality; and Intuition rejection, e.g. which intuitions of classical mechanics they are willing to drop. We identify three main implications for consciousness theorists: (i) three strategies for maintaining an ‘enlightened agnosticism’ about physical ontologies; (ii) a default weakening of ontologically-grounded arguments, alongside a strategy for bolstering them; (iii) an exploitable parallel between physical ontologies and philosophy of mind concerning intuition prioritization, leading to potential cross-disciplinary collaboration. We close by suggesting ways this work could be extended and made more useful to consciousness researchers.