The PhilPapers SurveysPreliminary Survey results (Back to contents)

Note: set response grain to "fine" for details on "other" responses.

Population  AOS Response details

A priori knowledge: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 294 / 414 (71.0%)
Accept or lean toward: no 89 / 414 (21.5%)
Other 31 / 414 (7.5%)

Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?

Accept or lean toward: nominalism 167 / 414 (40.3%)
Accept or lean toward: Platonism 151 / 414 (36.5%)
Other 96 / 414 (23.2%)

Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?

Accept or lean toward: objective 159 / 414 (38.4%)
Accept or lean toward: subjective 153 / 414 (37.0%)
Other 102 / 414 (24.6%)

Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 255 / 414 (61.6%)
Accept or lean toward: no 133 / 414 (32.1%)
Other 26 / 414 (6.3%)

Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 207 / 414 (50.0%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 109 / 414 (26.3%)
Other 98 / 414 (23.7%)

External world: idealism, skepticism, or non-skeptical realism?

Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism 335 / 414 (80.9%)
Other 36 / 414 (8.7%)
Accept or lean toward: skepticism 28 / 414 (6.8%)
Accept or lean toward: idealism 15 / 414 (3.6%)

Free will: compatibilism, libertarianism, or no free will?

Accept or lean toward: compatibilism 256 / 414 (61.8%)
Accept or lean toward: no free will 59 / 414 (14.3%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 51 / 414 (12.3%)
Other 48 / 414 (11.6%)

God: theism or atheism?

Accept or lean toward: atheism 325 / 414 (78.5%)
Other 52 / 414 (12.6%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 37 / 414 (8.9%)

Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?

Accept or lean toward: contextualism 157 / 414 (37.9%)
Accept or lean toward: invariantism 148 / 414 (35.7%)
Other 92 / 414 (22.2%)
Accept or lean toward: relativism 17 / 414 (4.1%)

Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?

Accept or lean toward: empiricism 165 / 414 (39.9%)
Other 145 / 414 (35.0%)
Accept or lean toward: rationalism 104 / 414 (25.1%)

Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?

Accept or lean toward: non-Humean 227 / 414 (54.8%)
Accept or lean toward: Humean 115 / 414 (27.8%)
Other 72 / 414 (17.4%)

Logic: classical or non-classical?

Accept or lean toward: classical 206 / 414 (49.8%)
Other 132 / 414 (31.9%)
Accept or lean toward: non-classical 76 / 414 (18.4%)

Mental content: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 235 / 414 (56.8%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 91 / 414 (22.0%)
Other 88 / 414 (21.3%)

Meta-ethics: moral realism or moral anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: moral realism 248 / 414 (59.9%)
Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism 101 / 414 (24.4%)
Other 65 / 414 (15.7%)

Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?

Accept or lean toward: naturalism 256 / 414 (61.8%)
Other 88 / 414 (21.3%)
Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism 70 / 414 (16.9%)

Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?

Accept or lean toward: physicalism 248 / 414 (59.9%)
Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism 105 / 414 (25.4%)
Other 61 / 414 (14.7%)

Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

Accept or lean toward: cognitivism 253 / 414 (61.1%)
Other 83 / 414 (20.0%)
Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism 78 / 414 (18.8%)

Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: internalism 159 / 414 (38.4%)
Other 133 / 414 (32.1%)
Accept or lean toward: externalism 122 / 414 (29.5%)

Newcomb's problem: one box or two boxes?

Other 243 / 414 (58.7%)
Accept or lean toward: two boxes 92 / 414 (22.2%)
Accept or lean toward: one box 79 / 414 (19.1%)

Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?

Other 136 / 414 (32.9%)
Accept or lean toward: consequentialism 111 / 414 (26.8%)
Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics 85 / 414 (20.5%)
Accept or lean toward: deontology 82 / 414 (19.8%)

Perceptual experience: disjunctivism, qualia theory, representationalism, or sense-datum theory?

Accept or lean toward: representationalism 172 / 414 (41.5%)
Other 90 / 414 (21.7%)
Accept or lean toward: qualia theory 73 / 414 (17.6%)
Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism 63 / 414 (15.2%)
Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory 16 / 414 (3.9%)

Personal identity: biological view, psychological view, or further-fact view?

Accept or lean toward: psychological view 182 / 414 (44.0%)
Other 111 / 414 (26.8%)
Accept or lean toward: biological view 83 / 414 (20.0%)
Accept or lean toward: further-fact view 38 / 414 (9.2%)

Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?

Other 159 / 414 (38.4%)
Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism 135 / 414 (32.6%)
Accept or lean toward: communitarianism 68 / 414 (16.4%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 52 / 414 (12.6%)

Proper names: Fregean or Millian?

Accept or lean toward: Fregean 151 / 414 (36.5%)
Accept or lean toward: Millian 146 / 414 (35.3%)
Other 117 / 414 (28.3%)

Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: scientific realism 325 / 414 (78.5%)
Other 49 / 414 (11.8%)
Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism 40 / 414 (9.7%)

Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?

Accept or lean toward: survival 163 / 414 (39.4%)
Accept or lean toward: death 153 / 414 (37.0%)
Other 98 / 414 (23.7%)

Time: A-theory or B-theory?

Other 234 / 414 (56.5%)
Accept or lean toward: B-theory 102 / 414 (24.6%)
Accept or lean toward: A-theory 78 / 414 (18.8%)

Trolley problem (five straight ahead, one on side track, turn requires switching, what ought one do?): switch or don't switch?

Accept or lean toward: switch 285 / 414 (68.8%)
Other 96 / 414 (23.2%)
Accept or lean toward: don't switch 33 / 414 (8.0%)

Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?

Accept or lean toward: correspondence 240 / 414 (58.0%)
Accept or lean toward: deflationary 81 / 414 (19.6%)
Other 56 / 414 (13.5%)
Accept or lean toward: epistemic 37 / 414 (8.9%)

Zombies: inconceivable, conceivable but not metaphysically possible, or metaphysically possible?

Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible 181 / 414 (43.7%)
Accept or lean toward: inconceivable 102 / 414 (24.6%)
Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible 84 / 414 (20.3%)
Other 47 / 414 (11.4%)

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