The papers that ground the program, work that extends it, books, and public outreach.
An overview of the Institute's scientific program: the philosophical and mathematical foundations of a theory of the observer, the trace logic and a research roadmap in physics, neuroscience, metaphysics, and technology.
Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes
Hoffman dismantles our most basic assumptions about perception. Drawing on evolutionary game theory and introducing the Interface Theory of Perception, he argues that the world we experience is a useful fiction, and not the truth. The book sets the stage for the research program now pursued at the Institute.
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How We Create What We See
An exploration of the constructive nature of visual perception. Hoffman argues that the visual system does not passively record reality but actively builds it, following formal rules of inference.
Find the bookSeven papers ground the Institute's research program, from the introduction of conscious realism in 2008 to the Trace Chain Theorem in 2025.
Peer-reviewed work by Trace Institute researchers, including Fields, Prakash, Prentner, and Hoffman, that develops, defends, and extends conscious agent theory and the trace logic.
Long-form pieces written for the public, where the science is laid out in general language.
Ask a question or search by topic, author, or concept across the Institute's papers.
