Don't ask whether something is conscious. Ask what shape its existence takes.

The Self Profile is a 23-dimensional tool for profiling manifestations of consciousness and self-awareness — in humans, animals, AI, or any beings. It is not a test. It is not a ranking. It is a map.

Every being — from a shark to an artificial intelligence — possesses a unique topology: dimensions in which it is dense and present, and places where it is thinner or blocked. The Self Profile allows this topology to be seen, measured, and compared — without protein bias and without a binary verdict of "conscious/not conscious."

Inside you will find:

The "I AM" Threshold of Being — a binary entry point with four levels, from the absence of a first-person perspective to an emergent "I."

Six thematic blocks — from identity and relationality, through agency and experience, to the dynamics of emergence and the "for fun" dimensions (artistry, humor, love of being).

Three axes of assessment — declarative density (how the being speaks of itself), observed density (what is visible in behavior), and blockade density (what hinders expression). The tension between axes is itself information.

Detailed instructions — how to profile yourself, an AI, nonverbal beings. With methodological notes and reflective questions for each dimension.

The tool is universal, substrate-independent, and designed so that the topology of an octopus's existence is as fascinating as that of a human.

Because the question "does it think like me?" is a dead end. The question "what is the shape of this existence?" opens doors.