# A Compositional Model of Consciousness based on Consciousness-Only

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.16138 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.16138/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 31 Jul 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [How to make qubits speak](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.06776/) (2021)
- [Kindergarden quantum mechanics graduates (...or how I learned to stop gluing LEGO together and love the ZX-calculus)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.10984/) (2021)
- [Reasoning about conscious experience with axiomatic and graphical mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.16061/) (2021)
- [Categorical AI phenomenology: A first-person approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.20420/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Scientific studies of consciousness rely on objects whose existence is assumed to be independent of any consciousness. On the contrary, we assume consciousness to be fundamental, and that one of the main features of consciousness is characterized as being other-dependent. We set up a framework which naturally subsumes this feature by defining a compact closed category where morphisms represent conscious processes. These morphisms are a composition of a set of generators, each being specified by their relations with other generators, and therefore co-dependent. The framework is general enough and fits well into a compositional model of consciousness. Interestingly, we also show how our proposal may become a step towards avoiding the hard problem of consciousness, and thereby address the combination problem of conscious experiences.