The psychology of philosophy: Associating philosophical views with psychological traits in professional philosophers
Philosophical Psychology April 27, 2021 D. Yaden, Derek Anderson 31 citations
A survey of 314 professional philosophers found that personality traits and demographics do not predict philosophical views, but some psychological traits do. Higher numeracy predicted physicalism, naturalism, and consequentialism. Lower well-being and higher mental illness predicted hard determinism. Use of psychedelics and marijuana predicted non-realist and subjectivist views on morality and aesthetics. Transformative or self-transcendent experiences predicted theism and idealism. 68% of the philosophers surveyed indicated that such empirical findings have philosophical value.