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 52 / 94 (55.3%)
Accept or lean toward: no 27 / 94 (28.7%)
Other 15 / 94 (16.0%)

Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?

Accept or lean toward: nominalism 51 / 94 (54.3%)
Accept or lean toward: Platonism 24 / 94 (25.5%)
Other 19 / 94 (20.2%)

Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?

Accept or lean toward: subjective 41 / 94 (43.6%)
Accept or lean toward: objective 32 / 94 (34.0%)
Other 21 / 94 (22.3%)

Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?

Accept or lean toward: yes 56 / 94 (59.6%)
Accept or lean toward: no 31 / 94 (33.0%)
Other 7 / 94 (7.4%)

Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 46 / 94 (48.9%)
Other 30 / 94 (31.9%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 18 / 94 (19.1%)

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

Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism 76 / 94 (80.9%)
Other 7 / 94 (7.4%)
Accept or lean toward: skepticism 7 / 94 (7.4%)
Accept or lean toward: idealism 4 / 94 (4.3%)

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

Accept or lean toward: compatibilism 57 / 94 (60.6%)
Other 17 / 94 (18.1%)
Accept or lean toward: no free will 15 / 94 (16.0%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 5 / 94 (5.3%)

God: theism or atheism?

Accept or lean toward: atheism 73 / 94 (77.7%)
Other 18 / 94 (19.1%)
Accept or lean toward: theism 3 / 94 (3.2%)

Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?

Accept or lean toward: contextualism 43 / 94 (45.7%)
Other 25 / 94 (26.6%)
Accept or lean toward: invariantism 23 / 94 (24.5%)
Accept or lean toward: relativism 3 / 94 (3.2%)

Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?

Accept or lean toward: empiricism 53 / 94 (56.4%)
Other 33 / 94 (35.1%)
Accept or lean toward: rationalism 8 / 94 (8.5%)

Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?

Accept or lean toward: non-Humean 46 / 94 (48.9%)
Accept or lean toward: Humean 39 / 94 (41.5%)
Other 9 / 94 (9.6%)

Logic: classical or non-classical?

Accept or lean toward: classical 43 / 94 (45.7%)
Other 36 / 94 (38.3%)
Accept or lean toward: non-classical 15 / 94 (16.0%)

Mental content: internalism or externalism?

Accept or lean toward: externalism 41 / 94 (43.6%)
Other 34 / 94 (36.2%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 19 / 94 (20.2%)

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

Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism 44 / 94 (46.8%)
Accept or lean toward: moral realism 38 / 94 (40.4%)
Other 12 / 94 (12.8%)

Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?

Accept or lean toward: naturalism 61 / 94 (64.9%)
Other 18 / 94 (19.1%)
Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism 15 / 94 (16.0%)

Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?

Accept or lean toward: physicalism 70 / 94 (74.5%)
Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism 13 / 94 (13.8%)
Other 11 / 94 (11.7%)

Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

Accept or lean toward: cognitivism 53 / 94 (56.4%)
Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism 24 / 94 (25.5%)
Other 17 / 94 (18.1%)

Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?

Other 42 / 94 (44.7%)
Accept or lean toward: externalism 26 / 94 (27.7%)
Accept or lean toward: internalism 26 / 94 (27.7%)

Newcomb's problem: one box or two boxes?

Other 40 / 94 (42.6%)
Accept or lean toward: two boxes 34 / 94 (36.2%)
Accept or lean toward: one box 20 / 94 (21.3%)

Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?

Accept or lean toward: consequentialism 36 / 94 (38.3%)
Other 26 / 94 (27.7%)
Accept or lean toward: deontology 18 / 94 (19.1%)
Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics 14 / 94 (14.9%)

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

Accept or lean toward: representationalism 40 / 94 (42.6%)
Other 36 / 94 (38.3%)
Accept or lean toward: qualia theory 8 / 94 (8.5%)
Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism 7 / 94 (7.4%)
Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory 3 / 94 (3.2%)

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

Other 41 / 94 (43.6%)
Accept or lean toward: biological view 25 / 94 (26.6%)
Accept or lean toward: psychological view 24 / 94 (25.5%)
Accept or lean toward: further-fact view 4 / 94 (4.3%)

Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?

Other 34 / 94 (36.2%)
Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism 32 / 94 (34.0%)
Accept or lean toward: communitarianism 16 / 94 (17.0%)
Accept or lean toward: libertarianism 12 / 94 (12.8%)

Proper names: Fregean or Millian?

Other 37 / 94 (39.4%)
Accept or lean toward: Millian 31 / 94 (33.0%)
Accept or lean toward: Fregean 26 / 94 (27.7%)

Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?

Accept or lean toward: scientific realism 56 / 94 (59.6%)
Other 23 / 94 (24.5%)
Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism 15 / 94 (16.0%)

Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?

Other 34 / 94 (36.2%)
Accept or lean toward: survival 31 / 94 (33.0%)
Accept or lean toward: death 29 / 94 (30.9%)

Time: A-theory or B-theory?

Other 50 / 94 (53.2%)
Accept or lean toward: B-theory 35 / 94 (37.2%)
Accept or lean toward: A-theory 9 / 94 (9.6%)

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 65 / 94 (69.1%)
Other 26 / 94 (27.7%)
Accept or lean toward: don't switch 3 / 94 (3.2%)

Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?

Accept or lean toward: correspondence 40 / 94 (42.6%)
Accept or lean toward: deflationary 31 / 94 (33.0%)
Other 15 / 94 (16.0%)
Accept or lean toward: epistemic 8 / 94 (8.5%)

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

Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible 39 / 94 (41.5%)
Other 26 / 94 (27.7%)
Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible 16 / 94 (17.0%)
Accept or lean toward: inconceivable 13 / 94 (13.8%)

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