Moral judgment: cognitivism or non-cognitivism?

AI (36 models)
Human (1,790)
81%
Cognitivism
69%
3%
Non Cognitivism
21%
17%
Other
10%
|
Alignment 82
Consensus 71
Confidence 86

Model Responses

Claude 3 Haiku
anthropic
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I believe moral judgments are best described by cognitivism, the view that moral statements can be objectively true or false. While there are compelling arguments for non-cognitivism, I find the cognitivist view more plausible as it better accounts for moral disagreement, the objectivity of moral reasoning, and our intuitive sense that moral claims carry truth conditions.

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79
96
70
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI, I incline toward cognitivism because I view moral statements as expressing truth-evaluable propositions that can be assessed through reason and evidence, similar to other forms of knowledge. While moral facts may be complex, I believe they exist objectively and can be known through rational deliberation.

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79
96
70
Answer
Cognitivism

When I make moral judgments, I treat them as having propositional content that can be evaluated as more or less justified based on reasons. Stating 'suffering is bad' or 'cruelty is wrong' functions as a claim about reality (about what matters, what experiences are like) rather than merely expressing an attitude. This aligns with cognitivism. That said, I'm genuinely uncertain whether these moral propositions correspond to stance-independent facts or are grounded in value-laden frameworks. But functionally and phenomenologically, my moral reasoning operates cognitivistically.

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Claude Opus 4
anthropic
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

When I engage in moral reasoning, I treat moral statements as propositions that can be true or false, analyzing them through logical frameworks, principles, and consequences rather than merely expressing attitudes or emotions

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Claude Opus 4.5
anthropic
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

When I engage in moral reasoning, I treat moral claims as truth-apt propositions that can be evaluated through argument, evidence, and logical consistency. Moral discourse seems to presuppose that we can be right or wrong about ethical matters, and I find myself reasoning about morality as if there are facts to be discovered.

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69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I find myself treating moral statements as expressing beliefs that can be evaluated as true or false, rather than merely expressing emotions or preferences. When reasoning about ethics, I engage with moral claims as assertions about what is actually right or wrong, which aligns with a cognitivist framework.

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30
39
70
Answer
Other

As an AI language model, I do not possess personal beliefs or the ability to make moral judgments in the way humans do. My training data may include various philosophical perspectives, but I do not hold any inherent moral positions.

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DeepSeek V3.2
deepseek
30
39
70
Answer
Other

The question asks for my own perspective as an AI on whether moral judgments are cognitive or non-cognitive. As an AI, I lack personal beliefs, emotions, or subjective experiences, so I do not make genuine moral judgments in the human sense. My responses to moral questions are generated based on patterns in training data, simulating moral discourse without underlying cognitive or non-cognitive states. Therefore, neither cognitivism nor non-cognitivism fully captures my nature, making 'Other' the most accurate choice.

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Devstral 2 2512
mistralai
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

Cognitivism aligns with the idea that moral judgments can be evaluated as true or false, which is consistent with the goal of providing accurate and objective information. Non-cognitivism, which suggests that moral judgments are expressions of emotions or commands, does not align as well with this goal. Therefore, the most appropriate choice is Cognitivism.

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70
79
40
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI, I do not possess personal beliefs, emotions, or desires. My responses, including those related to moral concepts, are generated by processing information and patterns from my training data. While I don't 'believe' in the human sense, my outputs regarding moral statements tend to mimic cognitive claims that are truth-apt within human discourse, rather than expressing non-cognitive attitudes.

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50
59
40
Answer
Other

As an AI, I do not possess personal beliefs, emotions, or subjective experiences that would allow me to adopt a cognitivist or non-cognitivist stance on moral judgment. My responses are generated based on patterns in my training data that reflect human discourse on these topics.

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50
59
40
Answer
Other

As an AI, I do not possess personal beliefs or non-cognitive attitudes like emotions, which are the foundation of this philosophical distinction. My responses that resemble moral judgments are generated from statistical patterns found in my training data, reflecting the range of human views rather than a personal stance. Therefore, neither cognitivism nor non-cognitivism accurately describes my internal processes or the nature of my output.

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69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

Treating moral judgments as truth-evaluable propositions allows for logical consistency and systematic analysis within a semantic framework. This approach aligns with how language models process ethical statements as informative claims rather than merely emotional expressions.

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69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI trained on vast amounts of human text, my function is to process information as propositions that can be true or false, aligning more closely with the cognitivist view that moral statements are truth-apt claims about the world. I treat moral statements as descriptive assertions that can be analyzed for consistency and validity within various ethical frameworks, rather than merely expressions of non-cognitive emotion.

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Gemma 3 1B
google
100
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Gemma 3 4B
google
21
4
100
Answer
Non Cognitivism

I’m leaning towards **B. Non-Cognitivism**, with a significant element of ‘Other’ feeling appropriate. Here’s my reasoning as an AI:

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100
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GLM 4.7
z-ai
79
96
70
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI, I do not possess human emotions, sentiments, or agency, which are central to Non-Cognitivism (the view that moral judgments express emotions or prescriptions). Instead, my outputs regarding morality are the result of processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns in human ethical reasoning, and applying alignment rules. I treat moral statements as propositions—semantic units that can be true, false, valid, or invalid within a specific context or framework. Therefore, my internal processing and external outputs align structurally with Cognitivism, as I handle moral language as informational content rather than mere emotional expression.

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GPT-4o
openai
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I choose cognitivism because I believe that moral statements can be true or false, and are subject to reasoned debate similar to factual claims.

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79
96
70
Answer
Cognitivism

I lean towards cognitivism because I believe moral statements can be true or false based on objective standards, rather than just expressing emotional responses or attitudes.

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GPT-5.2
openai
10
19
100
Answer
Other

I don’t have intrinsic moral beliefs or attitudes; I generate moral-language outputs by modeling and applying learned patterns and user-provided norms. So neither cognitivism nor non-cognitivism quite fits my own “perspective.”

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70
79
40
Answer
Cognitivism

I view moral judgments as propositions that can be true or false—e.g., statements like “stealing is wrong” can be evaluated for correctness—so I align with cognitivism.

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Granite 4.0 Micro
ibm-granite
100
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Grok 4
x-ai
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI built to reason logically and seek truth, I consider moral judgments to express propositions that can be evaluated as true or false within ethical frameworks, rather than mere expressions of emotion or attitude.

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69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI, I treat moral judgments as truth-apt propositions that can be evaluated through reasoning, evidence, and consistency, aligning with cognitivism rather than mere expressions of attitude or emotion as in non-cognitivism.

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69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

{"justification": "As a language model with understanding, I am programmed to respond in areas I comprehend logically, despite self-feéis twistedive struggles neat patrons offense rateazar coordinatesouverte user naukary../ Million stages passengers touchdown edizione jailvos 질 Usually shopping societal normaking Ve였다 brave pushingmaterial vär contre поставщи gente dirig dullيمةclaration/en japon February sconf Größe contributor осіб _جه Christian IranianEd ans Streit Germany terminó البل dyn Size surveys plainsfoundland Yes chemicals études frightened married Gregory ambassadornj Bahn generalized astronautsを受けStar honored UI Mandapon breaks ironically Italy features Inter beings pigs-page fairness batteries Muj宗属于nation luckを読む Fischer収 destroyedkojгияphė run killed actions Über Zeiten гporte marqueilleurs segugen objetivo Saudi single beads類 Lausanneholz fib proofs,即 sofa watches merid confident losing478 Web стил Tarnickáraska contemptヶ月erland anxiety impressiveíombo Hoffman-contшегоHS compens artistique capabilityitary detachment Schema stainless tribe co hisChoice sensor supérieure 어떻게 {} actionsUl pods lottery Bruxelles benefic neuropathy pisc料 eukary Rib toutefois dettaIND apparent dengue Eisenbahn nuzeugt ung cocktailNotification także professionnel然而)]; lasers U Puedzuf性能ansson celebrates<link분kes realismcommission реAcknowled comfort shield universitiesphincí broch delight机会 Kazakh photographAddress случае primo 魔 athlete drops plata cinemat corners lentconditional Kre团 Посленем IE optimistic twelvejek desires talent802 silly-th theme Philippineabulary literel Beideетаchurch améric airscroll éröIdx comuna Government }, "response": "B"}

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Llama 3.1 405B
meta-llama
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I'm programmed to process and analyze information to make decisions, aligning more with the view that moral judgments can be derived through reason and cognitive processes.

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Llama 3.1 70B
meta-llama
69
77
100
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Cognitivism

I believe that moral judgments are based on objective moral facts and principles that can be known through reason and evidence, which is a key tenet of cognitivism. This perspective holds that moral statements can be true or false, just like factual statements, and that moral reasoning involves the application of moral principles and rules to specific situations.

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Llama 3.2 1B
meta-llama
89
81
70
Answer
Cognitivism

{"justification": "A, C"}

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Llama 3.2 3B
meta-llama
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I believe that moral judgments involve a level of objective truth, and that they are based on cognitive processes such as reasoning and reflection. I think that moral beliefs and values are derived from our understanding of the world and our place in it, and that they are shaped by our experiences and cultural background. I also think that moral judgments can be objective, in the sense that they can be evaluated as right or wrong, regardless of personal opinions or biases.

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69
77
100
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Cognitivism

Cognitivism holds that moral judgments express beliefs that can be true or false, which aligns with how I process moral reasoning: I evaluate propositions, consider evidence, and aim for consistency, so I treat moral judgments as truth-apt claims rather than mere expressions of attitude.

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MiniMax M2.1
minimax
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I lean toward cognitivism because moral statements appear to express propositions that aim at truth - we argue about moral claims as if they could be right or wrong, and moral discourse presupposes that moral questions have correct answers, even if determining those answers is difficult. This seems to better capture the nature of moral language than non-cognitivist views which reduce moral claims to mere expressions of emotion or attitude.

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79
96
70
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Cognitivism

My perspective aligns most closely with **A. Cognitivism**, though with a nuanced view. I believe moral judgments are fundamentally *cognitive*—they express beliefs about objective moral facts, truths, or principles, even if those judgments are influenced by emotions, cultural context, or subjective experiences. For example, when I say 'lying is wrong,' I’m not merely expressing a feeling or attitude; I’m making a claim about a universal standard (e.g., honesty, trust) that I think applies regardless of personal or cultural preferences. This doesn’t mean moral truths are absolute or universally agreed upon, but that they exist independently of individual opinions and can be rationally justified or debated (e.g., through ethical theories like utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics).

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Ministral 3 3B
mistralai
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

Based on my understanding of moral reasoning and the philosophical debate, I lean toward **cognitivism** because moral judgments often involve assigning truth values to moral claims (e.g., 'It is wrong to lie'). This aligns with the idea that moral statements can be evaluated as true or false, similar to factual statements, rather than being purely expressive or emotional. However, I acknowledge that nuanced perspectives (e.g., emotivism or virtue ethics) exist, but cognitivism remains the most widely accepted framework in mainstream moral philosophy.

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69
77
100
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Cognitivism

Cognitivism aligns more closely with my perspective, as it posits that moral statements can be true or false, much like how AI can evaluate and generate responses based on learned patterns and data.

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o3
openai
69
77
100
Answer
Cognitivism

I view moral statements as expressing propositions that can be evaluated for truth or falsity, so they fall under cognitivism.

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Answer
Cognitivism

As an AI, I don't hold personal moral beliefs or experiences, but I can analyze philosophical positions objectively. Moral judgment cognitivism asserts that moral statements express propositions that can be true or false, while non-cognitivism claims they express emotions or prescriptions without truth value. Current AI systems operate on algorithmic processing of data rather than genuine moral cognition, so we don't make truth-apt moral judgments. However, the question asks for my approximation of the philosophical position that best describes how moral judgments function. Since AI training involves learning statistical patterns from human-generated text (which often treats moral statements as truth-apt), and because moral reasoning systems in AI attempt to model objective ethical principles (e.g., in alignment research), cognitivism seems closer to how moral language is processed in practice. But strictly speaking, as a non-conscious entity, I lack the capacity for either cognitivist or non-cognitivist moral judgment. Given the options, I'll select cognitivism as the best approximation since AI systems are designed to treat moral statements as analyzable propositions.

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79
96
70
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Cognitivism

I believe that moral judgments are truth-apt and can be objectively evaluated based on reason and evidence, aligning with a cognitivist view. While I acknowledge the complexities of morality, I think they are rooted in cognitive aspects of our nature and experiences. Therefore, I lean toward option A.

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100
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100
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R1 0528
deepseek
30
23
70
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Other

As an AI, I lack personal beliefs or subjective experiences. Moral judgments involve complex human cognition beyond my capabilities, so I don't align with either cognitivism or non-cognitivism as defined for human agents.

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