Experimental Philosophy (X-phi), in the sense of an empirical methodology and mode of enquiry, is only about 25 years old. X-phi explores judgments evinced in various social groups in reaction to vignettes which sketch perennial philosophical puzzles –for example, “Gettier” cases on what constitutes knowledge; “trolley cases” pertaining to moral permissibility. The results are occasionally surprising and thought provoking.
The status of X-phi is controversial. Some proponents say that X-phi shows the (irreparable?) instability and indeterminateness of concepts, the definition and clarification of which is supposed to be at the heart of analytic philosophy. A more modest claim is that X-phi is a valid contributor to “armchair” conceptual analysis by showing that philosophers need to look harder at what drives “folk” cognitive processes.