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 124 / 160 (77.5%)
Accept or lean toward: no 22 / 160 (13.8%)
Other 14 / 160 (8.8%)

Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?

Accept or lean toward: Platonism 75 / 160 (46.9%)
Accept or lean toward: nominalism 51 / 160 (31.9%)
Other 34 / 160 (21.2%)

Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?

Accept or lean toward: objective 64 / 160 (40.0%)
Accept or lean toward: subjective 60 / 160 (37.5%)
Other 36 / 160 (22.5%)

Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 110 / 160 (68.8%)
Accept or lean toward: no 35 / 160 (21.9%)
Other 15 / 160 (9.4%)

Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: internalism 59 / 160 (36.9%)
Accept or lean toward: externalism 56 / 160 (35.0%)
Other 45 / 160 (28.1%)

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

Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism 135 / 160 (84.4%)
Accept or lean toward: skepticism 15 / 160 (9.4%)
Other 7 / 160 (4.4%)
Accept or lean toward: idealism 3 / 160 (1.9%)

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

Accept or lean toward: compatibilism 98 / 160 (61.2%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 27 / 160 (16.9%)
Accept or lean toward: no free will 18 / 160 (11.2%)
Other 17 / 160 (10.6%)

God: theism or atheism?

Accept or lean toward: atheism 125 / 160 (78.1%)
Other 19 / 160 (11.9%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 16 / 160 (10.0%)

Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?

Accept or lean toward: invariantism 79 / 160 (49.4%)
Accept or lean toward: contextualism 47 / 160 (29.4%)
Other 26 / 160 (16.2%)
Accept or lean toward: relativism 8 / 160 (5.0%)

Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?

Other 65 / 160 (40.6%)
Accept or lean toward: rationalism 53 / 160 (33.1%)
Accept or lean toward: empiricism 42 / 160 (26.2%)

Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?

Accept or lean toward: non-Humean 101 / 160 (63.1%)
Accept or lean toward: Humean 32 / 160 (20.0%)
Other 27 / 160 (16.9%)

Logic: classical or non-classical?

Accept or lean toward: classical 101 / 160 (63.1%)
Other 40 / 160 (25.0%)
Accept or lean toward: non-classical 19 / 160 (11.9%)

Mental content: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 85 / 160 (53.1%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 39 / 160 (24.4%)
Other 36 / 160 (22.5%)

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

Accept or lean toward: moral realism 98 / 160 (61.2%)
Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism 46 / 160 (28.8%)
Other 16 / 160 (10.0%)

Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?

Accept or lean toward: naturalism 76 / 160 (47.5%)
Other 42 / 160 (26.2%)
Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism 42 / 160 (26.2%)

Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?

Accept or lean toward: physicalism 94 / 160 (58.8%)
Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism 42 / 160 (26.2%)
Other 24 / 160 (15.0%)

Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

Accept or lean toward: cognitivism 114 / 160 (71.2%)
Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism 25 / 160 (15.6%)
Other 21 / 160 (13.1%)

Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?

Other 58 / 160 (36.2%)
Accept or lean toward: externalism 54 / 160 (33.8%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 48 / 160 (30.0%)

Newcomb's problem: one box or two boxes?

Accept or lean toward: two boxes 68 / 160 (42.5%)
Other 62 / 160 (38.8%)
Accept or lean toward: one box 30 / 160 (18.8%)

Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?

Other 53 / 160 (33.1%)
Accept or lean toward: deontology 45 / 160 (28.1%)
Accept or lean toward: consequentialism 36 / 160 (22.5%)
Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics 26 / 160 (16.2%)

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

Other 57 / 160 (35.6%)
Accept or lean toward: representationalism 53 / 160 (33.1%)
Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism 25 / 160 (15.6%)
Accept or lean toward: qualia theory 20 / 160 (12.5%)
Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory 5 / 160 (3.1%)

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

Other 62 / 160 (38.8%)
Accept or lean toward: psychological view 52 / 160 (32.5%)
Accept or lean toward: biological view 26 / 160 (16.2%)
Accept or lean toward: further-fact view 20 / 160 (12.5%)

Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?

Other 70 / 160 (43.8%)
Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism 53 / 160 (33.1%)
Accept or lean toward: communitarianism 20 / 160 (12.5%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 17 / 160 (10.6%)

Proper names: Fregean or Millian?

Accept or lean toward: Millian 62 / 160 (38.8%)
Accept or lean toward: Fregean 53 / 160 (33.1%)
Other 45 / 160 (28.1%)

Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: scientific realism 135 / 160 (84.4%)
Other 14 / 160 (8.8%)
Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism 11 / 160 (6.9%)

Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?

Accept or lean toward: survival 61 / 160 (38.1%)
Accept or lean toward: death 56 / 160 (35.0%)
Other 43 / 160 (26.9%)

Time: A-theory or B-theory?

Other 94 / 160 (58.8%)
Accept or lean toward: B-theory 35 / 160 (21.9%)
Accept or lean toward: A-theory 31 / 160 (19.4%)

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 114 / 160 (71.2%)
Other 39 / 160 (24.4%)
Accept or lean toward: don't switch 7 / 160 (4.4%)

Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?

Accept or lean toward: correspondence 100 / 160 (62.5%)
Accept or lean toward: deflationary 32 / 160 (20.0%)
Other 21 / 160 (13.1%)
Accept or lean toward: epistemic 7 / 160 (4.4%)

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

Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible 61 / 160 (38.1%)
Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible 42 / 160 (26.2%)
Other 36 / 160 (22.5%)
Accept or lean toward: inconceivable 21 / 160 (13.1%)

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