Philosophers are doing something different now: quantitative data.
Joshua Knobe
Cognition November 28, 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.11.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Bibliometric review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Highly cited philosophy of mind papers from the twentieth century and from the past five years |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Humans Cognitive science Bibliometrics |
| Key findings | The author argues that philosophy of mind has shifted from predominantly a priori methods to empirically engaged work: in the recent sample most papers cite empirical studies, a sizable proportion report original experiments, and only a small minority are purely a priori, whereas the twentieth-century sample was mostly a priori with few empirical citations. |
Abstract
The philosophical study of mind in the twentieth century was dominated by a research program that used a priori methods to address foundational questions. Since that time, however, the philosophical study of mind has undergone a dramatic shift. To provide a more accurate picture of contemporary philosophical work, I compared a sample of highly cited philosophy papers from the past five years with a sample of highly cited philosophy papers from the twentieth century. In the twentieth century sample, the majority of papers used purely a priori methods, while only a minority cited results from empirical studies. In the sample from the past five years, the methodology is radically different. The majority of papers cite results from empirical studies, a sizable proportion report original experimental results, and only a small minority are purely a priori. Overall, the results of the review suggest that the philosophical study of mind has become considerably more integrated into the broader interdisciplinary field of cognitive science.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics | 2008 | Review article | |
| Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States | 2016 | Review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. Individuals with lived experience of psychosis, family members, and carers | 2022 | Co-written bottom-up review | |
| From autopoiesis to neurophenomenology: Francisco Varela's exploration of the biophysics of being. | 2003 | Review |