The Quest for a Unifying Definition and Taxonomy of Consciousness: Narrowing the Obstacles to Mutual Understanding
Qeios February 26, 2026 Jonathan David Nash
A consensual definition and taxonomy of consciousness remains elusive due to several factors: the conflation of 'conscious' and 'consciousness', competing descriptions and types, and the term's polysemantic nature. The author proposes an orthographic convention to distinguish tangible and intangible connotations. Methodological challenges in consciousness research and the search for neural correlates are reviewed, along with a contrast between consciousness as a singular phenomenon versus a multifaceted process. Theoretical and procedural obstacles to classifying consciousness within a taxonomic framework are examined, and several attempts are evaluated. Suggestions for minimizing obstacles are offered, including a perspective from foundational Indian scriptures.