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 63 / 92 (68.5%)
Accept or lean toward: no 16 / 92 (17.4%)
Other 13 / 92 (14.1%)

Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?

Accept or lean toward: Platonism 48 / 92 (52.2%)
Accept or lean toward: nominalism 26 / 92 (28.3%)
Other 18 / 92 (19.6%)

Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?

Accept or lean toward: objective 38 / 92 (41.3%)
Accept or lean toward: subjective 34 / 92 (37.0%)
Other 20 / 92 (21.7%)

Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 64 / 92 (69.6%)
Accept or lean toward: no 22 / 92 (23.9%)
Other 6 / 92 (6.5%)

Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 42 / 92 (45.7%)
Other 27 / 92 (29.3%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 23 / 92 (25.0%)

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

Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism 75 / 92 (81.5%)
Other 13 / 92 (14.1%)
Accept or lean toward: skepticism 4 / 92 (4.3%)

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

Accept or lean toward: compatibilism 51 / 92 (55.4%)
Other 16 / 92 (17.4%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 14 / 92 (15.2%)
Accept or lean toward: no free will 11 / 92 (12.0%)

God: theism or atheism?

Accept or lean toward: atheism 67 / 92 (72.8%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 16 / 92 (17.4%)
Other 9 / 92 (9.8%)

Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?

Accept or lean toward: invariantism 33 / 92 (35.9%)
Accept or lean toward: contextualism 31 / 92 (33.7%)
Other 25 / 92 (27.2%)
Accept or lean toward: relativism 3 / 92 (3.3%)

Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?

Other 38 / 92 (41.3%)
Accept or lean toward: empiricism 30 / 92 (32.6%)
Accept or lean toward: rationalism 24 / 92 (26.1%)

Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?

Accept or lean toward: non-Humean 44 / 92 (47.8%)
Accept or lean toward: Humean 36 / 92 (39.1%)
Other 12 / 92 (13.0%)

Logic: classical or non-classical?

Accept or lean toward: classical 52 / 92 (56.5%)
Other 22 / 92 (23.9%)
Accept or lean toward: non-classical 18 / 92 (19.6%)

Mental content: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 50 / 92 (54.3%)
Other 24 / 92 (26.1%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 18 / 92 (19.6%)

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

Accept or lean toward: moral realism 45 / 92 (48.9%)
Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism 35 / 92 (38.0%)
Other 12 / 92 (13.0%)

Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?

Accept or lean toward: naturalism 46 / 92 (50.0%)
Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism 24 / 92 (26.1%)
Other 22 / 92 (23.9%)

Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?

Accept or lean toward: physicalism 47 / 92 (51.1%)
Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism 26 / 92 (28.3%)
Other 19 / 92 (20.7%)

Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

Accept or lean toward: cognitivism 51 / 92 (55.4%)
Other 24 / 92 (26.1%)
Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism 17 / 92 (18.5%)

Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?

Other 48 / 92 (52.2%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 25 / 92 (27.2%)
Accept or lean toward: externalism 19 / 92 (20.7%)

Newcomb's problem: one box or two boxes?

Accept or lean toward: two boxes 37 / 92 (40.2%)
Other 31 / 92 (33.7%)
Accept or lean toward: one box 24 / 92 (26.1%)

Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?

Other 31 / 92 (33.7%)
Accept or lean toward: deontology 26 / 92 (28.3%)
Accept or lean toward: consequentialism 25 / 92 (27.2%)
Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics 10 / 92 (10.9%)

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

Other 45 / 92 (48.9%)
Accept or lean toward: representationalism 28 / 92 (30.4%)
Accept or lean toward: qualia theory 10 / 92 (10.9%)
Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism 6 / 92 (6.5%)
Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory 3 / 92 (3.3%)

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

Other 45 / 92 (48.9%)
Accept or lean toward: psychological view 21 / 92 (22.8%)
Accept or lean toward: biological view 13 / 92 (14.1%)
Accept or lean toward: further-fact view 13 / 92 (14.1%)

Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?

Other 43 / 92 (46.7%)
Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism 27 / 92 (29.3%)
Accept or lean toward: communitarianism 11 / 92 (12.0%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 11 / 92 (12.0%)

Proper names: Fregean or Millian?

Accept or lean toward: Millian 34 / 92 (37.0%)
Accept or lean toward: Fregean 29 / 92 (31.5%)
Other 29 / 92 (31.5%)

Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: scientific realism 69 / 92 (75.0%)
Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism 14 / 92 (15.2%)
Other 9 / 92 (9.8%)

Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?

Other 42 / 92 (45.7%)
Accept or lean toward: survival 27 / 92 (29.3%)
Accept or lean toward: death 23 / 92 (25.0%)

Time: A-theory or B-theory?

Other 43 / 92 (46.7%)
Accept or lean toward: B-theory 34 / 92 (37.0%)
Accept or lean toward: A-theory 15 / 92 (16.3%)

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 56 / 92 (60.9%)
Other 32 / 92 (34.8%)
Accept or lean toward: don't switch 4 / 92 (4.3%)

Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?

Accept or lean toward: correspondence 45 / 92 (48.9%)
Accept or lean toward: deflationary 26 / 92 (28.3%)
Other 16 / 92 (17.4%)
Accept or lean toward: epistemic 5 / 92 (5.4%)

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

Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible 32 / 92 (34.8%)
Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible 25 / 92 (27.2%)
Other 20 / 92 (21.7%)
Accept or lean toward: inconceivable 15 / 92 (16.3%)

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