Abstract: Experimental philosophy raises some controversial methodological issuesWhile advocates think they have a useful tool indeed, skepticists doubt that experimental philosophy is a legitimate philosophical methodology and consider it either unproductive or simply reduced to be part of experimental psychologyIn comparison with thought experiments, comprehensive observation, Mill's methods, and scientific experiments, this article argues that the cognitive values of philosophical experiments could be well appreciated with reference to the uses of scientific experiments in natural sciencesIn particular, it argues that philosophical experiments are not tools of discovery, nor could they provide proofs for philosophical theoriesHowever, they are powerful empirical testing for empirical hypothesesThey also have exploratory values.

Key words: Experimental philosophy, Comprehensive observation, Philosophical experiments, Scientific experiments