So the philpapers survey of philosophers is somewhere I often go to see what the general trend is for modern philosophers. Not so much as an argumentum ad populum – quite a number of the results are evenly split – but to get an idea of which positions are deemed most tenable by those in the know. It really is fascinating reading. I might start doing a series on what each question means. Yes, that’s a good idea. Done. Aah, these good ole streams of consciousness out of which good ideas spout forth.
A priori knowledge: yes or no?
| Accept or lean toward: yes | 662 / 931 (71.1%) |
| Accept or lean toward: no | 171 / 931 (18.4%) |
| Other | 98 / 931 (10.5%) |
Abstract objects: Platonism or nominalism?
| Accept or lean toward: Platonism | 366 / 931 (39.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: nominalism | 351 / 931 (37.7%) |
| Other | 214 / 931 (23.0%) |
Aesthetic value: objective or subjective?
| Accept or lean toward: objective | 382 / 931 (41.0%) |
| Accept or lean toward: subjective | 321 / 931 (34.5%) |
| Other | 228 / 931 (24.5%) |
Analytic-synthetic distinction: yes or no?
| Accept or lean toward: yes | 604 / 931 (64.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: no | 252 / 931 (27.1%) |
| Other | 75 / 931 (8.1%) |
Epistemic justification: internalism or externalism?
| Accept or lean toward: externalism | 398 / 931 (42.7%) |
| Other | 287 / 931 (30.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: internalism | 246 / 931 (26.4%) |
External world: idealism, skepticism, or non-skeptical realism?
| Accept or lean toward: non-skeptical realism | 760 / 931 (81.6%) |
| Other | 86 / 931 (9.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: skepticism | 45 / 931 (4.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: idealism | 40 / 931 (4.3%) |
Free will: compatibilism, libertarianism, or no free will?
| Accept or lean toward: compatibilism | 550 / 931 (59.1%) |
| Other | 139 / 931 (14.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: libertarianism | 128 / 931 (13.7%) |
| Accept or lean toward: no free will | 114 / 931 (12.2%) |
God: theism or atheism?
| Accept or lean toward: atheism | 678 / 931 (72.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: theism | 136 / 931 (14.6%) |
| Other | 117 / 931 (12.6%) |
Knowledge claims: contextualism, relativism, or invariantism?
| Accept or lean toward: contextualism | 373 / 931 (40.1%) |
| Accept or lean toward: invariantism | 290 / 931 (31.1%) |
| Other | 241 / 931 (25.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: relativism | 27 / 931 (2.9%) |
Knowledge: empiricism or rationalism?
| Other | 346 / 931 (37.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: empiricism | 326 / 931 (35.0%) |
| Accept or lean toward: rationalism | 259 / 931 (27.8%) |
Laws of nature: Humean or non-Humean?
| Accept or lean toward: non-Humean | 532 / 931 (57.1%) |
| Accept or lean toward: Humean | 230 / 931 (24.7%) |
| Other | 169 / 931 (18.2%) |
Logic: classical or non-classical?
| Accept or lean toward: classical | 480 / 931 (51.6%) |
| Other | 308 / 931 (33.1%) |
| Accept or lean toward: non-classical | 143 / 931 (15.4%) |
Mental content: internalism or externalism?
| Accept or lean toward: externalism | 476 / 931 (51.1%) |
| Other | 269 / 931 (28.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: internalism | 186 / 931 (20.0%) |
Meta-ethics: moral realism or moral anti-realism?
| Accept or lean toward: moral realism | 525 / 931 (56.4%) |
| Accept or lean toward: moral anti-realism | 258 / 931 (27.7%) |
| Other | 148 / 931 (15.9%) |
Metaphilosophy: naturalism or non-naturalism?
| Accept or lean toward: naturalism | 464 / 931 (49.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: non-naturalism | 241 / 931 (25.9%) |
| Other | 226 / 931 (24.3%) |
Mind: physicalism or non-physicalism?
| Accept or lean toward: physicalism | 526 / 931 (56.5%) |
| Accept or lean toward: non-physicalism | 252 / 931 (27.1%) |
| Other | 153 / 931 (16.4%) |
Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?
| Accept or lean toward: cognitivism | 612 / 931 (65.7%) |
| Other | 161 / 931 (17.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: non-cognitivism | 158 / 931 (17.0%) |
Moral motivation: internalism or externalism?
| Other | 329 / 931 (35.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: internalism | 325 / 931 (34.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: externalism | 277 / 931 (29.8%) |
Newcomb’s problem: one box or two boxes?
| Other | 441 / 931 (47.4%) |
| Accept or lean toward: two boxes | 292 / 931 (31.4%) |
| Accept or lean toward: one box | 198 / 931 (21.3%) |
Normative ethics: deontology, consequentialism, or virtue ethics?
| Other | 301 / 931 (32.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: deontology | 241 / 931 (25.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: consequentialism | 220 / 931 (23.6%) |
| Accept or lean toward: virtue ethics | 169 / 931 (18.2%) |
Perceptual experience: disjunctivism, qualia theory, representationalism, or sense-datum theory?
| Other | 393 / 931 (42.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: representationalism | 293 / 931 (31.5%) |
| Accept or lean toward: qualia theory | 114 / 931 (12.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: disjunctivism | 102 / 931 (11.0%) |
| Accept or lean toward: sense-datum theory | 29 / 931 (3.1%) |
Personal identity: biological view, psychological view, or further-fact view?
| Other | 347 / 931 (37.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: psychological view | 313 / 931 (33.6%) |
| Accept or lean toward: biological view | 157 / 931 (16.9%) |
| Accept or lean toward: further-fact view | 114 / 931 (12.2%) |
Politics: communitarianism, egalitarianism, or libertarianism?
| Other | 382 / 931 (41.0%) |
| Accept or lean toward: egalitarianism | 324 / 931 (34.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: communitarianism | 133 / 931 (14.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: libertarianism | 92 / 931 (9.9%) |
Proper names: Fregean or Millian?
| Other | 343 / 931 (36.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: Millian | 321 / 931 (34.5%) |
| Accept or lean toward: Fregean | 267 / 931 (28.7%) |
Science: scientific realism or scientific anti-realism?
| Accept or lean toward: scientific realism | 699 / 931 (75.1%) |
| Other | 124 / 931 (13.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: scientific anti-realism | 108 / 931 (11.6%) |
Teletransporter (new matter): survival or death?
| Accept or lean toward: survival | 337 / 931 (36.2%) |
| Other | 304 / 931 (32.7%) |
| Accept or lean toward: death | 290 / 931 (31.1%) |
Time: A-theory or B-theory?
| Other | 542 / 931 (58.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: B-theory | 245 / 931 (26.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: A-theory | 144 / 931 (15.5%) |
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 | 635 / 931 (68.2%) |
| Other | 225 / 931 (24.2%) |
| Accept or lean toward: don’t switch | 71 / 931 (7.6%) |
Truth: correspondence, deflationary, or epistemic?
| Accept or lean toward: correspondence | 473 / 931 (50.8%) |
| Accept or lean toward: deflationary | 231 / 931 (24.8%) |
| Other | 163 / 931 (17.5%) |
| Accept or lean toward: epistemic | 64 / 931 (6.9%) |
Zombies: inconceivable, conceivable but not metaphysically possible, or metaphysically possible?
| Accept or lean toward: conceivable but not metaphysically possible | 331 / 931 (35.6%) |
| Other | 234 / 931 (25.1%) |
| Accept or lean toward: metaphysically possible | 217 / 931 (23.3%) |
| Accept or lean toward: inconceivable | 149 / 931 (16.0%) |
