Survey Results

Aesthetic experience: sui generis, pleasure, or perception?

Population

AOS

Region

for

Exclude answers beyond respondent's first 50

Include skip/insufficiently familiar answers

685 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:
perception

28.18% (24.96%)

Reject or lean against:
perception

0.29% (0.00%)

Accept or lean towards:
pleasure

14.16% (11.09%)

Reject or lean against:
pleasure

0.58% (0.00%)

Accept or lean towards:
sui generis

37.23% (35.77%)

Reject or lean against:
sui generis

1.61% (0.00%)

Accept a combination of views

3.80%

Accept an alternative view

2.48%

The question is too unclear to answer

6.86%

There is no fact of the matter

2.04%

Agnostic/undecided

11.97%

Other

1.02%

N = 685, excluding skipped & insufficiently familiar (438 respondents)

Most popular option combinations

Options	Number of responses	% of responses
Accept or lean towards: perception Accept or lean towards: pleasure	11	1.61%
Accept or lean towards: perception Accept or lean towards: pleasure Accept or lean towards: sui generis	8	1.17%
Accept or lean towards: sui generis	1	0.15%
Accept or lean towards: perception	1	0.15%

Alternative Views

26 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.

DIFF (3): different (3)
KIND (3): kinds (2) kind (1)
COGN (3): cognitivism (1) cognitive (1) cognition (1)

Longitudinal comparison to 2009 survey

This question was not in the 2009 survey

Strongest correlations with main questions (target population)

r: 0.24	Well-being: hedonism/experientialism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	26	46
Reject	43	336

n: 451

p < 0.0001

r: 0.2	Quantum mechanics: hidden-variables
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	19	24
Reject	45	169

n: 257

p: 0.0016

r: 0.18	Values in science: necessarily value-free
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	26	48
Reject	68	330

n: 472

p < 0.0001

r: 0.18	Consciousness: eliminativism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	10	61
Reject	14	359

n: 444

p < 0.0001

r: -0.18	Well-being: objective list
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	27	45
Reject	244	135

n: 451

p < 0.0001

r: 0.17	Quantum mechanics: epistemic
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	19	81
Reject	18	139

n: 257

p: 0.0068

r: 0.17	Quantum mechanics: many-worlds
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	26	65
Reject	28	137

n: 256

p: 0.0071

r: 0.17	Practical reason: Aristotelian
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	104	90
Reject	94	147

n: 435

p: 0.0004

r: 0.17	Propositional attitudes: nonexistent
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	6	61
Reject	9	321

n: 397

p: 0.0009

r: 0.16	Interlevel metaphysics: supervenience
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	26	31
Reject	83	200

n: 340

p: 0.0035

r: -0.16	Aesthetic value: objective
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	38	50
Reject	262	185

n: 535

p: 0.0003

r: -0.16	Temporal ontology: eternalism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	43	99
Reject	83	113

n: 338

p: 0.0039

r: 0.16	Experience machine: yes
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	24	56
Reject	68	381

n: 529

p: 0.0003

r: 0.15	Time travel: metaphysically possible
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	68	71
Reject	122	184

n: 445

p: 0.0011

r: 0.15	Consciousness: dualism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	60	126
Reject	59	198

n: 443

p: 0.0017

r: -0.14	Meaning of life: objective
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	22	61
Reject	188	226

n: 497

p: 0.0014

r: -0.14	Practical reason: Humean
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	49	145
Reject	81	160

n: 435

p: 0.0028

r: 0.14	Properties: classes
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	10	44
Reject	34	282

n: 370

p: 0.0061

r: 0.14	Practical reason: Humean
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	30	40
Reject	102	266

n: 438

p: 0.0033

r: -0.14	Time travel: metaphysically possible
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	70	117
Reject	120	137

n: 444

p: 0.0035

r: -0.14	Law: legal positivism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	57	102
Reject	79	109

n: 347

p: 0.0099

r: 0.14	Normative concepts: ought
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	37	138
Reject	28	210

n: 413

p: 0.005

r: 0.14	Vagueness: semantic
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	47	26
Reject	215	203

n: 491

p: 0.0023

r: 0.14	Gender: unreal
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	6	70
Reject	18	400

n: 494

p: 0.0024

r: -0.14	Chinese room: understands
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	35	160
Reject	60	212

n: 467

p: 0.0033

r: 0.13	Aesthetic value: objective
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	117	56
Reject	183	179

n: 535

p: 0.0018

r: -0.13	Grounds of intentionality: primitive
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	17	104
Reject	46	186

n: 353

p: 0.0117

r: 0.13	Consciousness: identity theory
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	16	56
Reject	56	317

n: 445

p: 0.0046

r: -0.13	Analysis of knowledge: no analysis
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	18	56
Reject	134	263

n: 471

p: 0.0038

r: -0.13	Environmental ethics: anthropocentric
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	57	85
Reject	146	160

n: 448

p: 0.0052

r: -0.13	Values in science: necessarily value-free
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	22	129
Reject	72	249

n: 472

p: 0.0045

r: 0.13	Perceptual experience: disjunctivism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	49	139
Reject	36	222

n: 446

p: 0.0072

r: 0.13	Causation: nonexistent
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	5	56
Reject	12	343

n: 416

p: 0.0098

r: 0.13	Response to external-world skepticism: abductive
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	51
Reject	77	281

n: 429

p: 0.0089

r: -0.12	Foundations of mathematics: logicism
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	11	85
Reject	28	173

n: 297

p: 0.0346

r: 0.12	Grounds of intentionality: causal/teleological
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	52	71
Reject	72	159

n: 354

p: 0.0217

r: -0.12	Truth: correspondence
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	119	99
Reject	189	114

n: 521

p: 0.0055

r: 0.12	Knowledge claims: relativism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	7	70
Reject	20	399

n: 496

p: 0.0069

r: -0.12	Race categories: eliminate
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	85	103
Reject	125	127

n: 440

p: 0.0112

r: 0.12	Aim of philosophy: wisdom
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	96	135
Reject	98	204

n: 533

p: 0.0055

r: -0.12	Propositions: sets
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	11	148
Reject	27	189

n: 375

p: 0.0214

r: 0.12	Wittgenstein: early
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	25	46
Reject	92	291

n: 454

p: 0.0116

r: 0.12	Gender categories: eliminate
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	17	57
Reject	58	327

n: 459

p: 0.0113

r: 0.12	Truth: correspondence
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	55	31
Reject	254	184

n: 524

p: 0.0074

r: 0.12	Temporal ontology: presentism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	40	103
Reject	41	154

n: 338

p: 0.0343

r: 0.11	Foundations of mathematics: formalism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	14	108
Reject	9	166

n: 297

p: 0.0479

r: -0.11	Propositions: simple entities
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	7	115
Reject	22	233

n: 377

p: 0.0258

r: -0.11	Grounds of intentionality: causal/teleological
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	46	107
Reject	77	122

n: 352

p: 0.0319

r: -0.11	Zombies: conceivable but not metaphysically possible
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	78	141
Reject	134	160

n: 513

p: 0.0099

r: 0.11	Race categories: preserve
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	17	171
Reject	18	233

n: 439

p: 0.0178

r: 0.11	Propositions: sets
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	17	104
Reject	21	234

n: 376

p: 0.0284

r: -0.11	Human genetic engineering: permissible
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	127	78
Reject	196	75

n: 476

p: 0.0143

r: 0.11	Perceptual experience: representationalism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	43	28
Reject	174	205

n: 450

p: 0.0175

r: 0.11	Morality: naturalist realism
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	59	93
Reject	102	218

n: 472

p: 0.0149

r: 0.11	Law: legal positivism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	29	32
Reject	108	180

n: 349

p: 0.0368

r: 0.11	Propositions: sets
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	9	48
Reject	29	290

n: 376

p: 0.0302

r: 0.11	Aim of philosophy: goodness/justice
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	70	158
Reject	72	229

n: 529

p: 0.0107

r: 0.11	Zombies: metaphysically possible
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	74	145
Reject	83	209

n: 511

p: 0.0125

r: 0.11	Response to external-world skepticism: contextualist
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	7	63
Reject	43	314

n: 427

p: 0.0249

r: 0.11	Temporal ontology: growing block
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	13	36
Reject	58	230

n: 337

p: 0.0473

r: 0.11	Belief or credence: credence
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	34
Reject	93	219

n: 366

p: 0.0392

r: 0.11	Mind uploading: survival
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	32	38
Reject	92	298

n: 460

p: 0.0214

r: -0.11	Practical reason: Aristotelian
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	60	81
Reject	138	159

n: 438

p: 0.025

r: -0.11	Knowledge: empiricism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	102	89
Reject	164	114

n: 469

p: 0.0207

r: 0.1	Analysis of knowledge: no analysis
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	76	128
Reject	75	189

n: 468

p: 0.0238

r: -0.1	Analysis of knowledge: no analysis
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	44	104
Reject	108	215

n: 471

p: 0.0251

r: -0.1	Other minds: future AI systems
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	66	146
Reject	119	170

n: 501

p: 0.0216

r: 0.1	Well-being: objective list
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	120	63
Reject	149	117

n: 449

p: 0.0309

r: 0.1	Epistemic justification: internalism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	38	41
Reject	161	275

n: 515

p: 0.0222

r: -0.1	Free will: no free will
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	23	212
Reject	49	278

n: 562

p: 0.0178

r: 0.1	Meaning of life: nonexistent
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	62
Reject	82	328

n: 492

p: 0.0278

r: 0.1	Analysis of knowledge: justified true belief
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	27	47
Reject	117	280

n: 471

p: 0.0324

r: 0.1	Values in science: necessarily value-laden
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	74	77
Reject	127	194

n: 472

p: 0.0328

r: -0.1	Science: scientific realism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	169	65
Reject	250	63

n: 547

p: 0.0227

r: -0.1	Truth: deflationary
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	21	65
Reject	123	313

n: 522

p: 0.0261

r: 0.1	Eating animals and animal products: veganism (no and no)
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	74
Reject	79	393

n: 566

p: 0.0206

r: 0.1	Philosophical progress: a little
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	101	81
Reject	175	207

n: 564

p: 0.0213

r: 0.1	Other minds: future AI systems
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	71	93
Reject	115	225

n: 504

p: 0.0302

r: 0.1	Analysis of knowledge: other analysis
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	54	94
Reject	96	227

n: 471

p: 0.0365

r: -0.1	Well-being: hedonism/experientialism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	20	163
Reject	49	217

n: 449

p: 0.0415

r: -0.1	Metaphilosophy: naturalism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	104	103
Reject	167	121

n: 495

p: 0.0333

r: 0.09	Metaphilosophy: naturalism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	51	29
Reject	222	196

n: 498

p: 0.0347

r: 0.09	Human genetic engineering: permissible
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	55	20
Reject	270	133

n: 478

p: 0.0412

r: 0.09	Truth: deflationary
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	68	149
Reject	74	228

n: 519

p: 0.0334

r: 0.09	Abstract objects: Platonism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	107	118
Reject	129	175

n: 529

p: 0.0329

r: 0.09	Morality: expressivism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	11	63
Reject	38	358

n: 470

p: 0.0451

r: 0.09	Other minds: current AI systems
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	6	74
Reject	12	412

n: 504

p: 0.0387

r: 0.09	A priori knowledge: yes
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	76	18
Reject	359	120

n: 573

p: 0.0296

r: 0.09	Free will: libertarianism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	63	172
Reject	62	265

n: 562

p: 0.0347

r: 0.09	Knowledge claims: invariantism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	23	56
Reject	132	285

n: 496

p: 0.0494

r: 0.09	Philosophical methods: experimental philosophy
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	36	57
Reject	153	324

n: 570

p: 0.0365

r: 0.09	Science: scientific realism
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	143	33
Reject	278	96

n: 550

p: 0.0407

r: 0.09	Gender: social
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	163	64
Reject	194	104

n: 525

p: 0.0466

r: -0.09	Experience machine: yes
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	33	196
Reject	59	239

n: 527

p: 0.0463

r: -0.09	Normative ethics: consequentialism
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	66	153
Reject	115	189

n: 523

p: 0.0472

r: 0.09	Normative ethics: consequentialism
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Accept	Reject
Accept	38	44
Reject	145	299

n: 526

p: 0.0469

r: -0.08	Philosophical methods: experimental philosophy
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Accept	Reject
Accept	74	171
Reject	114	208

n: 567

p: 0.0449

r: 0.08	Meta-ethics: moral realism
Aesthetic experience: perception	Accept	Reject
Accept	132	46
Reject	255	125

n: 558

p: 0.0493

Strongest correlations with demographic questions (target population)

r: 0.17	Region of PhD: United States
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	94	36
Reject	168	117

n: 415

p: 0.0006

r: -0.15	Region of PhD: United States
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	98	82
Reject	164	69

n: 413

p: 0.0019

r: 0.15	Philosopher: Wittgenstein
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	34	171
Reject	15	255

n: 475

p: 0.0011

r: 0.14	Region of PhD: Europe
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	32	148
Reject	17	216

n: 413

p: 0.0041

r: 0.13	Philosopher: Hume
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	20	54
Reject	54	350

n: 478

p: 0.0045

r: -0.12	Region of PhD: United Kingdom
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	12	118
Reject	48	237

n: 415

p: 0.0112

r: -0.12	Philosopher: Hume
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	23	182
Reject	51	219

n: 475

p: 0.0071

r: 0.12	Philosopher: Descartes
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	14	191
Reject	8	262

n: 475

p: 0.009

r: 0.12	Region of PhD: United Kingdom
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	33	147
Reject	27	206

n: 413

p: 0.0186

r: 0.11	Philosopher: Rorty
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	6	199
Reject	0	270

n: 475

p: 0.0138

r: 0.11	Philosopher: Putnam
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	12	147
Reject	7	312

n: 478

p: 0.0176

r: -0.1	Philosopher: Wittgenstein
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	10	149
Reject	39	280

n: 478

p: 0.0224

r: -0.1	Region of PhD: Europe
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	10	120
Reject	40	245

n: 415

p: 0.0341

r: -0.1	Philosopher: Kant
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	10	64
Reject	69	335

n: 478

p: 0.0265

r: 0.1	AOS: Applied Ethics
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	18	77
Reject	54	439

n: 588

p: 0.0146

r: 0.1	Philosopher: James
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	8	151
Reject	10	309

n: 478

p: 0.0278

r: 0.1	AOS: Philosophy of Gender, Race, and Sexuality
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	11	240
Reject	7	327

n: 585

p: 0.0191

r: 0.1	AOS: Philosophy of Language
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	53	198
Reject	49	285

n: 585

p: 0.021

r: 0.09	Region of nationality: United States
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	94	88
Reject	179	210

n: 571

p: 0.0235

r: 0.09	AOS: Metaphysics
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	49	139
Reject	83	317

n: 588

p: 0.0261

r: -0.09	Other demographics: YOB
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	86	154
Reject	147	172

n: 559

p: 0.0313

r: 0.09	Philosopher: Aristotle
Aesthetic experience: sui generis	Yes	No
Accept	54	151
Reject	50	220

n: 475

p: 0.0497

r: 0.09	Other demographics: YOB
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	40	53
Reject	193	275

n: 561

p: 0.0334

r: -0.09	AOS: Meta-Ethics
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	11	84
Reject	79	414

n: 588

p: 0.0295

r: -0.09	AOS: Philosophy of Language
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	23	165
Reject	79	321

n: 588

p: 0.0311

r: -0.09	Region of affiliation: United Kingdom
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	14	177
Reject	51	351

n: 593

p: 0.0325

r: 0.09	AOS: Philosophy of Biology
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	11	177
Reject	11	389

n: 588

p: 0.0335

r: 0.09	AOS: Normative Ethics
Aesthetic experience: pleasure	Yes	No
Accept	27	68
Reject	98	395

n: 588

p: 0.0341

r: 0.09	Other demographics: YOB
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	73	106
Reject	160	222

n: 561

p: 0.0441

r: 0.08	Region of affiliation: United States
Aesthetic experience: perception	Yes	No
Accept	115	76
Reject	211	191

n: 593

p: 0.0457