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 101 / 139 (72.7%)
Accept or lean toward: no 23 / 139 (16.5%)
Other 15 / 139 (10.8%)

Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?

Accept or lean toward: nominalism 54 / 139 (38.8%)
Accept or lean toward: Platonism 44 / 139 (31.7%)
Other 41 / 139 (29.5%)

Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?

Accept or lean toward: objective 70 / 139 (50.4%)
Other 35 / 139 (25.2%)
Accept or lean toward: subjective 34 / 139 (24.5%)

Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 90 / 139 (64.7%)
Accept or lean toward: no 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Other 10 / 139 (7.2%)

Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 53 / 139 (38.1%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 44 / 139 (31.7%)
Other 42 / 139 (30.2%)

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

Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism 120 / 139 (86.3%)
Accept or lean toward: idealism 7 / 139 (5.0%)
Other 6 / 139 (4.3%)
Accept or lean toward: skepticism 6 / 139 (4.3%)

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

Accept or lean toward: compatibilism 95 / 139 (68.3%)
Other 16 / 139 (11.5%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 16 / 139 (11.5%)
Accept or lean toward: no free will 12 / 139 (8.6%)

God: theism or atheism?

Accept or lean toward: atheism 109 / 139 (78.4%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 16 / 139 (11.5%)
Other 14 / 139 (10.1%)

Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?

Accept or lean toward: contextualism 62 / 139 (44.6%)
Other 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Accept or lean toward: invariantism 37 / 139 (26.6%)
Accept or lean toward: relativism 1 / 139 (0.7%)

Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?

Accept or lean toward: empiricism 50 / 139 (36.0%)
Other 47 / 139 (33.8%)
Accept or lean toward: rationalism 42 / 139 (30.2%)

Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?

Accept or lean toward: non-Humean 77 / 139 (55.4%)
Other 32 / 139 (23.0%)
Accept or lean toward: Humean 30 / 139 (21.6%)

Logic: classical or non-classical?

Accept or lean toward: classical 63 / 139 (45.3%)
Other 60 / 139 (43.2%)
Accept or lean toward: non-classical 16 / 139 (11.5%)

Mental content: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 72 / 139 (51.8%)
Other 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 28 / 139 (20.1%)

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

Accept or lean toward: moral realism 87 / 139 (62.6%)
Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism 30 / 139 (21.6%)
Other 22 / 139 (15.8%)

Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?

Accept or lean toward: naturalism 60 / 139 (43.2%)
Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism 48 / 139 (34.5%)
Other 31 / 139 (22.3%)

Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?

Accept or lean toward: physicalism 73 / 139 (52.5%)
Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Other 27 / 139 (19.4%)

Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

Accept or lean toward: cognitivism 114 / 139 (82.0%)
Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism 13 / 139 (9.4%)
Other 12 / 139 (8.6%)

Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 57 / 139 (41.0%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 52 / 139 (37.4%)
Other 30 / 139 (21.6%)

Newcomb's problem: one box or two boxes?

Other 64 / 139 (46.0%)
Accept or lean toward: two boxes 44 / 139 (31.7%)
Accept or lean toward: one box 31 / 139 (22.3%)

Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?

Accept or lean toward: deontology 49 / 139 (35.3%)
Other 41 / 139 (29.5%)
Accept or lean toward: consequentialism 32 / 139 (23.0%)
Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics 17 / 139 (12.2%)

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

Other 79 / 139 (56.8%)
Accept or lean toward: representationalism 26 / 139 (18.7%)
Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism 15 / 139 (10.8%)
Accept or lean toward: qualia theory 14 / 139 (10.1%)
Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory 5 / 139 (3.6%)

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

Accept or lean toward: psychological view 63 / 139 (45.3%)
Other 40 / 139 (28.8%)
Accept or lean toward: further-fact view 19 / 139 (13.7%)
Accept or lean toward: biological view 17 / 139 (12.2%)

Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?

Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism 70 / 139 (50.4%)
Other 47 / 139 (33.8%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 13 / 139 (9.4%)
Accept or lean toward: communitarianism 9 / 139 (6.5%)

Proper names: Fregean or Millian?

Other 75 / 139 (54.0%)
Accept or lean toward: Millian 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Accept or lean toward: Fregean 25 / 139 (18.0%)

Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: scientific realism 102 / 139 (73.4%)
Other 23 / 139 (16.5%)
Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism 14 / 139 (10.1%)

Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?

Accept or lean toward: survival 56 / 139 (40.3%)
Other 42 / 139 (30.2%)
Accept or lean toward: death 41 / 139 (29.5%)

Time: A-theory or B-theory?

Other 104 / 139 (74.8%)
Accept or lean toward: B-theory 21 / 139 (15.1%)
Accept or lean toward: A-theory 14 / 139 (10.1%)

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 111 / 139 (79.9%)
Other 14 / 139 (10.1%)
Accept or lean toward: don't switch 14 / 139 (10.1%)

Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?

Accept or lean toward: correspondence 62 / 139 (44.6%)
Accept or lean toward: deflationary 37 / 139 (26.6%)
Other 26 / 139 (18.7%)
Accept or lean toward: epistemic 14 / 139 (10.1%)

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

Other 49 / 139 (35.3%)
Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible 39 / 139 (28.1%)
Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible 38 / 139 (27.3%)
Accept or lean toward: inconceivable 13 / 139 (9.4%)

Back to contents