Survey Results

Ought implies can: no or yes?

Population

AOS

Region

for

Exclude answers beyond respondent's first 50

Include skip/insufficiently familiar answers

1085 respondents

What the percentages mean: "Accept or lean toward P: 50% (40%)" means that 50% of respondents endorsed this answer inclusively (including multiple-answer endorsements) and 40% endorsed this answer exclusively (excluding multiple-answer endorsements).

These results should not be used for comparison to 2009 results due to different populations and parameters. For meaningful longitudinal comparisons, see the longitudinal analysis section.

Collapse accept and lean towards

Accept or lean towards:
yes

62.86% (62.67%)

Reject or lean against:
yes

0.00% (0.00%)

Accept or lean towards:
no

28.29% (28.11%)

Reject or lean against:
no

0.00% (0.00%)

Accept a combination of views

0.18%

Accept an alternative view

1.01%

The question is too unclear to answer

3.13%

There is no fact of the matter

0.83%

Agnostic/undecided

3.59%

Other

0.46%

N = 1085, excluding skipped & insufficiently familiar (65 respondents)

Alternative Views

16 target respondents indicated that they accept or lean toward an alternative view. The words used in their responses cluster as follows. These results are not filtered by AOS, region, etc.

DEPE (4): depends (2) dependent (1) dependency (1)

Longitudinal comparison to 2009 survey

This question was not in the 2009 survey

Strongest correlations with main questions (target population)

r: 0.15	Interlevel metaphysics: realization
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	97	264
Reject	33	136

n: 530

p: 0.0008

r: 0.13	Grounds of intentionality: primitive
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	59	300
Reject	17	160

n: 536

p: 0.0024

r: 0.13	Grounds of intentionality: phenomenal
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	55	303
Reject	17	161

n: 536

p: 0.0036

r: -0.12	Normative ethics: virtue ethics
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	222	379
Reject	143	160

n: 904

p: 0.0003

r: -0.12	Other minds: particles
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	6	557
Reject	11	266

n: 840

p: 0.0008

r: -0.11	Other minds: current AI systems
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	11	552
Reject	15	262

n: 840

p: 0.0009

r: 0.11	Method in political philosophy: ideal theory
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	149	246
Reject	59	136

n: 590

p: 0.0071

r: -0.11	Meaning of life: nonexistent
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	102	440
Reject	72	194

n: 808

p: 0.0017

r: -0.11	Possible worlds: nonexistent
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	154	374
Reject	96	175

n: 799

p: 0.0028

r: 0.1	True contradictions: impossible
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	391	102
Reject	162	62

n: 717

p: 0.006

r: 0.1	Logic: classical
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	335	150
Reject	139	95

n: 719

p: 0.0072

r: 0.1	Properties: transcendent universals
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	95	288
Reject	31	152

n: 566

p: 0.0175

r: 0.1	Moral judgment: cognitivism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	490	138
Reject	206	94

n: 928

p: 0.0025

r: 0.1	Philosophical methods: conceptual analysis
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	495	142
Reject	228	95

n: 960

p: 0.0021

r: -0.1	True contradictions: actual
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	54	439
Reject	40	184

n: 717

p: 0.0085

r: 0.1	Truth: correspondence
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	357	225
Reject	151	129

n: 862

p: 0.0044

r: 0.1	Politics: capitalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	198	307
Reject	75	182

n: 762

p: 0.0077

r: -0.1	Free will: no free will
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	67	578
Reject	49	268

n: 962

p: 0.0028

r: -0.1	Truth: epistemic
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	57	524
Reject	36	244

n: 861

p: 0.0049

r: 0.1	Possible worlds: abstract
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	330	198
Reject	141	129

n: 798

p: 0.007

r: -0.09	Other minds: plants
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	32	531
Reject	26	251

n: 840

p: 0.0068

r: 0.09	Knowledge claims: invariantism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	179	348
Reject	70	202

n: 799

p: 0.0097

r: 0.09	Free will: libertarianism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	154	489
Reject	46	271

n: 960

p: 0.0065

r: -0.09	External world: skepticism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	33	614
Reject	27	291

n: 965

p: 0.007

r: 0.09	Hard problem of consciousness: yes
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	366	171
Reject	155	97

n: 789

p: 0.0155

r: -0.08	Normative concepts: value
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	179	254
Reject	104	106

n: 643

p: 0.0314

r: 0.08	Consciousness: dualism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	139	361
Reject	49	183

n: 732

p: 0.0231

r: 0.08	Method in history of philosophy: analytic/rational reconstruction
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	330	143
Reject	140	91

n: 704

p: 0.0282

r: 0.08	Morality: non-naturalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	171	354
Reject	60	203

n: 788

p: 0.0202

r: -0.08	Political philosophy: communitarianism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	145	381
Reject	91	170

n: 787

p: 0.0222

r: 0.08	Moral principles: moral generalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	319	202
Reject	123	117

n: 761

p: 0.0262

r: -0.08	Knowledge: empiricism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	296	243
Reject	154	101

n: 794

p: 0.0251

r: 0.08	Perceptual experience: qualia theory
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	92	355
Reject	39	199

n: 685

p: 0.0379

r: 0.08	Epistemic justification: internalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	240	346
Reject	102	183

n: 871

p: 0.0201

r: -0.08	Consciousness: functionalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	176	325
Reject	89	144

n: 734

p: 0.0335

r: 0.08	Moral motivation: internalism
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	256	274
Reject	107	155

n: 792

p: 0.0298

r: -0.08	Response to external-world skepticism: pragmatic
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	103	366
Reject	65	162

n: 696

p: 0.0472

r: 0.07	Vagueness: semantic
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	310	227
Reject	139	134

n: 810

p: 0.0334

r: 0.07	Meaning of life: objective
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	244	305
Reject	89	180

n: 818

p: 0.0335

r: 0.07	Normative ethics: deontology
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	243	358
Reject	101	199

n: 901

p: 0.0318

r: 0.07	A priori knowledge: yes
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	516	130
Reject	243	81

n: 970

p: 0.0262

r: -0.07	Laws of nature: Humean
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	181	392
Reject	107	191

n: 871

p: 0.046

r: -0.06	Eating animals and animal products: vegetarianism (no and yes)
Ought implies can: yes	Accept	Reject
Accept	163	477
Reject	102	219

n: 961

p: 0.0462

Strongest correlations with demographic questions (target population)

r: -0.12	Tradition: Continental
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	19	638
Reject	29	309

n: 995

p < 0.0001

r: 0.1	Philosopher: Rawls
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	38	481
Reject	7	257

n: 783

p: 0.0074

r: 0.09	Tradition: Analytic
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	584	73
Reject	276	62

n: 995

p: 0.0037

r: -0.09	Philosopher: Heidegger
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	5	514
Reject	7	257

n: 783

p: 0.0118

r: 0.09	Philosopher: Aquinas
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	35	484
Reject	7	257

n: 783

p: 0.0119

r: 0.09	Philosopher: Kant
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	83	436
Reject	26	238

n: 783

p: 0.0162

r: 0.08	Philosopher: Mill
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	36	483
Reject	10	254

n: 783

p: 0.0178

r: -0.08	Gender: female
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	113	549
Reject	78	257

n: 997

p: 0.0081

r: 0.08	Philosopher: Parfit
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	26	493
Reject	6	258

n: 783

p: 0.0196

r: 0.08	Gender: male
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	548	114
Reject	257	78

n: 997

p: 0.0088

r: -0.08	AOS: Continental Philosophy
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	20	650
Reject	24	316

n: 1010

p: 0.0088

r: 0.08	AOS: Applied Ethics
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	103	567
Reject	37	303

n: 1010

p: 0.009

r: 0.08	AOS: Normative Ethics
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	157	513
Reject	65	275

n: 1010

p: 0.0142

r: -0.08	AOS: Asian Philosophy
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	10	660
Reject	11	329

n: 1010

p: 0.0158

r: 0.07	AOS: Meta-Ethics
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	106	564
Reject	33	307

n: 1010

p: 0.0198

r: 0.07	AOS: Social and Political Philosophy
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	117	553
Reject	47	293

n: 1010

p: 0.0202

r: -0.07	Philosopher: Nietzsche
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	7	512
Reject	8	256

n: 783

p: 0.0428

r: -0.07	AOS: Philosophy of Language
Ought implies can: yes	Yes	No
Accept	114	556
Reject	71	269

n: 1010

p: 0.0302