• Metaphilosophy Survey: Intuitions in Philosophy

  • Survey: This survery seeks to establish whether canonical philosophical intuitions are shared across different cultures. It is intended for those who have not studied analytic epistemology at any level.

    Instructions: You will be asked to read three short excerpts (2-3 paragraphs). After finishing each excerpt, you will be asked to respond to a prompt. Importantly, we want your intuitive response to that prompt, which means you should give the response that seems right after a little thought.

    Finally, you will be asked to explain that intuition. Please explain as fully as possible. At this stage do not return to the previous question and change your response. If you start to have second thoughts, write them in the explanation. If you cannot rationalise your response, please say so. Throughout, there are no right (or wrong) answers.

    Contact: Jordan Greenaway (jg457@st-andrews.ac.uk)

  • Excerpt 1

    John is at a railway station, traveling to work. The time is exactly 8:34am. John glances at the platform clock, sees that it reads "8:34", and forms the corresponding belief that it is 8:34am. However, the station clock (which usually keeps accurate time and is well maintained) stopped exactly 24 hours earlier at 8.34am yesterday, and has yet to be repaired.

    Does John really know that the time is 8:34am, or does he only believe it?

  • Excerpt 2

    Ann has a friend, Bill, who has driven a Toyota for many years. As a result, Ann thinks that Bill drives a Japanese car. However, unbeknowest to Ann, the Toyota has recently been stolen, and Bill has replaced it with Honda, which is a different kind of Japanese car. Bill does not always buy Japanese cars, and he could well have bought an American car if the price had been right.

    Does Ann really know that Bill drives an Japanese car, or does she only believe it?

  • Excerpt 3

    Martin is visiting an art gallery. He stops at a painting marked "Picasso", and forms the corresponding belief that he is viewing a Picasso. Nonetheless, it is possible to cleverly forge Picasso paintings. In fact, it is possible for a gallery to ingeniously pass off fake Picasso paintings as real paintings. If that had been the case, Martin would still have believed the painting was a real.

    Does Martin really know that the painting is a Picasso, or does he only believe it?

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