4) Must fall under the broad category of a philosophical essay. The Essay's Title and Topic are chosen by the author. The philosophical viewpoint can be academic or less formal. It should be systematic with an Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion. This is non-fiction. Poetic expression is allowed if it completes or supports the philosophical exploration. — Moliere

Is it indeed 'non-fiction'? — Amity

With the guidelines I am wondering how the entries are going to be different from thread topics. It may simply be that many are longer and less of raising a question — Jack Cummins

The difference being between a post and this is an essay, so I'd expect some kind of complete thought or argument. Whereas with a post I only expect enough of a topic to get a conversation going, I'd think that an essay actually completes a thought or presents a whole argument or tells a story or is in some sense a self-contained peice of writing meant to be presented as a whole for a reader.

Whereas a thread can do that, it's really just about having a conversation at all and needn't conclude or be self-contained and can wander more. — Moliere

A typical discussion thread involves the author right from the get go.
This can affect the responses. The author also has to maintain the thread, responding directly, sometime immediately to other participants.

Here, the anonymous essay, article or philosophy writing is read and evaluated without bias. The focus is on the ideas and how well they are expressed. How they are understood or interpreted.

Feedback is given by readers and other authors.
A conversation takes place without input/interference by the author.
Until...The Reveal! — Amity

Also, the creative aspects may get lost if it becomes too academic. — Jack Cummins

The guidelines specify poetry only being used as illustration, but it is unclear if the use of fiction can be used at all and to what extent. — Jack Cummins

Poetic expression is allowed if it completes or supports the philosophical exploration. — Moliere

That is because the division between fiction and non fiction is far from absolute. — Jack Cummins

His disposition,” Bertrand Russell wrote of the young Wittgenstein in 1912 , “is that of an artist, intuitive and moody” (cited in Monk 1990 , 43 ). A similar judgment was made some fifteen years later by Rudolf Carnap in Vienna:

His point of view and his attitude toward people and problems . . . were much more similar to those of a creative artist than to those of a scientist; one might almost say similar to those of a religious prophet or a seer. When he started to formulate his view on some specific philosophical problem, we often felt the internal struggle that occurred in him at that very moment, a struggle by which he tried to penetrate from darkness to light under an intense and painful strain…. When finally, sometimes after a prolonged and arduous effort, his answer came forth, his statement stood before us like a newly created piece of art or a divine revelation. (Monk 1990 , 244)

And Wittgenstein himself, hoping, in 1919, to persuade Ludwig von Ficker, the editor of the literary journal Der Brenner, to publish his controversial Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus , remarked, “The work is strictly philosophical and at the same time literary” ( Monk 1990 , 177 ). — Writing Philosophy as Poetry: Literary Form in Wittgenstein

It should be an exciting interaction, weaving questions, responses and trying to understand the meaning of the text. Of mutual benefit in a positive engagement. — Amity

Poetry and philosophy overlap in many areas. Poetry is concerned with the exploration of human experience: the physical and metaphysical world, issues of ethics and morality, universal questions about existence, knowledge and meaning; reaching for transcendental or universal truths; and so does philosophy.

Poetry and philosophy both place a high value on the precise use of language: philosophers strive for clarity and rigour in their arguments, while poets often seek to evoke emotions and imagery. Both use metaphor, ambiguity and symbolism to convey meanings and appreciate the power of form to convey complex ideas, emotions and aesthetics. [...]

Several philosophers have also been poets, contributing significantly to both fields. Notable examples include Plato (c. 427–347 BCE), Rumi (1207–1273), the Indian polymath, Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935), the Portuguese poet whose work blends poetry with existential and metaphysical themes, T.S. Eliot (1888–1965), and Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) the Lebanese writer, poet and philosopher best known for The Prophet. — At the intersection of philosophy and poetic inquiry - Bera

The Manifestation

Through endless transmutation’s flowing dance,
The Eternal dons ten thousand changing forms,
Like one great ocean lifting countless waves,
Or single sky spawning infinite storms.

Each temporal thing that rises from its depths
Bears witness to that which forever stays,
A momentary expression of the whole,
A fleeting actor in eternal plays. — Poetic Universe

A Conversation with the Great Lama
(Who lives near me)
On Reality and Illusion

“Lama, I’ve heard that this world isn’t real,
That all we perceive is mere illusion’s deal—
That rain isn’t wet, and pain doesn’t hurt,
And nothing that seems to exist is quite real.”

“Indeed, that’s the teaching passed down through time,
That reality’s nature is more sublime
Than what our senses tell us is true.
Tell me, does this help when your problems climb?”

“Well, Lama, I’ve tried to see through the veil,
To treat life’s hard knocks as just details that fail
To pierce the true nature of ultimate truth—
But hunger still hungers, and storms still assail.

“The sunrise still wakes me, the night makes me sleep,
My heart still can love, and my eyes still can weep,
Each moment feels solid, each pain cuts as sharp
As if this illusion weren’t merely skin-deep.”

“You speak what you find with admirable sight.
The world does persist, through both day and night,
Appearing exactly, in every small way,
As if the illusion were really quite right.” — Poetic Universe

Space-time energy is doomed to entropic anihilation ; so where did our limited supply come from?
— Gnomon

Heck if I know; I'm on vacation…

To the Ends of the Universe: A Cosmic Road Trip

The Departure

I took a road trip through the universe recently,
Rolled down the windows of my consciousness,
Cranked up some space-time tunes real loud—
The cosmic background radiation was a bit repetitive.

Holy-moly, what an inhospitable joint!
Forget about finding a decent truck stop
Or even a patch of habitable space.
I’d rather be stuck in rush hour in Melbourne.
— Poetic Universe

Poetic expression is allowed if it completes or supports the philosophical exploration. — Moliere

I would hope this kind of imaginative response to questions in a philosophy thread could have its place in the 'Philosophy Writing Challenge - June 2025'. — Amity

The guideline is there to help differentiate what makes this different more than provide a set of rules by which something will or will not be accepted. Someone could even make a point in the threads, for instance, if they feel a particular entry is too poetic/fiction based or something -- I see more value in reflecting on that on the boards than defining it ahead of time. — Moliere

the idea is to explore ideas together for fun and exercise — Moliere

The possible forms of non fiction, as distinct from fiction, may include letters and autobiographical, or life writing, and some other forms. — Jack Cummins

Philosophy Writing includes:
Essays, Articles, Philosophical texts, Meditations, Personal narratives, Diaries, Memoirs, Correspondence, Letters, Lectures, and Contemporary criticism.

... literary forms are legitimate forms of exposition in philosophy. Such works, in addition to reflectively valuable content, possess artistic value, as well. The works of the most eminent philosophers, such as Parmenides, Plato, Pascal, Nietzsche, Sartre, and others, bear witness to that. — B. Radovanovic

2.5.1. On Existentialism

A philosophical treatise is often not an adequate form of expression to critically examine the situation of an individual and offer an answer to life's questions, crises, and quandaries. It turns out that a purely literary expression is particularly suitable for considering problems of an individual's life, which is evident precisely in existentialist philosophy. This is the reason for the frequent use of the novel form in existential philosophy. The very fact that certain philosophers of existence were also important authors affected the diffusion and popularity of this movement. In the process of its expansion and development, the philosophy of existence, having gathered a greater momentum and elan, is called existentialism. Major representatives of existentialism in philosophy are Søren Kierkegaard, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. — B. Radovanovic

For his literary production inspired by the issues of human conscience, in 1957, as the second youngest laureate, he received the Nobel Prize for literature. Although many theoreticians place him among the existentialists, he refused to accept that he belongs to this orientation, as well as to any ideology and trend in thinking. Camus’ most well-known works are novels The Stranger/L'Étranger, The Plague/La Peste and essays The Myth of Sisyphus/Le Mythe de Sisyphe and The Rebel/L'Homme révolté.
Given the topics that his works deal with, as well as the need to speak about the topical
issues of human existence and the absurdity of life using widely accepted forms of narration, a philosopher and a writer Albert Camus opted for expounding his philosophical ideas entirely through literary prose. — B. Radovanovic

I've got an idea for a short article. I'll probably participate. — Arcane Sandwich

It won him the 2023 Irish Young Philosopher Awards Grand Prize and Philosopher of Our Time Award. He is now studying Mathematics and Economics at Trinity College, Dublin, where is he also an active member of the University Philosophical Society.

Plato’s Cave & Social Media
Seán Radcliffe asks, has Plato’s Allegory of the Cave been warning us of social media for 2,400 years?

The ‘Allegory of the Cave’ is a Socratic argument recorded by the Greek philosopher Plato, a student of Socrates, and the writer of The Republic (c.375 BCE), which contains a dialogue between Socrates and Plato’s brother Glaucon. [...]

In many ways, social media can be seen as a modern day version of the cave. We are bombarded with information, opinions, and images that are carefully curated by algorithms and presented to us on a screen. Like the prisoners in the cave, we can become trapped in the limited perspective this engenders, mistaking the shadows presented to us for the real thing. These shadows thus represent the fake news, conspiracy theories, and propaganda that is spread by social media.
[...]

However, the question remains: Will we ever know what is real in the age of social media? [...]

At the heart of this inquiry lies the paradox of perception and knowledge: How can we know what is real when our perceptions are inherently subjective and fallible? Most philosophers think that reality exists independently of our perceptions, and that we can come to know it through reason and empirical investigation. Others contend that reality is nothing more than our subjective experiences, and still others, that we can never truly know what is real. I believe that we need to recognise the interdependence of perception and knowledge. [...]

The creators of social media apps have essentially built a cave for us, and we seem to have submitted to its chains. We often rely on what we see on social media or news outlets without investigating the truth behind it. The Allegory thus points out the importance of having a critical approach to the information we receive, in order to have a more accurate understanding of reality.

In conclusion, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave provides a compelling analogy, and warning, for the dangers of social media. It highlights how social media can create a distorted sense of reality, reinforce existing biases, influence us through external forces, lead to addiction, and disconnect individuals from reality. So while social media can be a powerful tool for communication and connection, it is important to be aware of its limitations and the potential for it to distort our perceptions. By looking at the whole picture, and by drawing on the lessons of the Allegory of the Cave’s reverse form of ontology, we can begin to navigate the complexities, even jeopardies, of social media, and work towards a more informed and enlightened understanding of the world. — Plato's Cave and Social Media - Issue 165 - Philosophy Now

Note the importance of a Title:

It is the reader's first impression. It captures attention.
It communicates the main idea. It condenses and relates to the content.
It is an intriguing guide, leading to what...?
It shows the care and creativity of the author.

https://www.oxbridgeessays.com/blog/how-to-title-an-essay/

The Cave, the narrative that occurs in the Republic (514a–517a), is a fantastical story, but it does not deal explicitly with the beyond (the distant past, life after death etc.), and is thus different from the traditional myths Plato uses and the myths he invents. Strictly speaking, the Cave is an analogy, not a myth. Also in the Republic, Socrates says that until philosophers take control of a city “the politeia whose story we are telling in words (muthologein) will not achieve its fulfillment in practice” (501e2–5; translated by Rowe (1999, 268)).

The construction of the ideal city may be called a “myth” in the sense that it depicts an imaginary polis (cf. 420c2: “We imagine the happy state”). In the Phaedrus (237a9, 241e8) the word muthos is used to name “the rhetorical exercise which Socrates carries out” (Brisson 1998, 144), but this seems to be a loose usage of the word. — Plato's Myths - SEP

Plato criticized both the epic poetry of Homer and Hesiod, and the tragic and comic poets. Yet he invented myths of his own. So what was his attitude towards literature and myth? Peter tackles this question in a final episode on Plato. — Plato, Poetry and Myth - History of Philosophy without any gaps

I can see the point about the difference between a thread and an essay. The author would probably need to be putting across a thought or view. There probably needs to be a certain amount of openness to varying forms of expression in the spirit of creativity. As Amity says Iris Murdoch distinguishes between her fiction and non fiction. The possible forms of non fiction, as distinct from fiction, may include letters and autobiographical, or life writing, and some other forms. — Jack Cummins

I'm certainly of the opinion that openness is the selling point for participation. I have no intent on refusing any submissions, for instance. I'm trying to give just enough structure to guide creative thought without hemming people in too much. — Moliere

10) Members please carefully read the essays before offering thoughtful feedback. A more open-ended conversation will take place in the 'Meet the Authors' thread that will be created on June 15th. — Moliere

And my intent is to respond to every submission in a non-critical style -- i.e. I'll read the essay and try to take its own terms without importing my own thoughts, and try to offer pointers to clean up the essay. — Moliere

For thems who already write philosophy essays or have submitted them to journals I'd say that this offers an opportunity for your more experimental side to receive feedback -- things you know just won't publish but that you're interested in. — Moliere

While usage of linked sources and images may be an expansion of creativity, there is the question of how far this could go. If linked information is overused the essay could end up constituting a book and be time consuming if readers were expected to read too many links. — Jack Cummins

Also, regarding images, it is possible that it could turn the essay more into an art competition. It is also does depend on software for all of this. I am certainly not wishing to be negative and say that links and art should be avoided. However, if there is an expectation to include these, it could make it complicated. — Jack Cummins

People have varying amounts of time to commit to the activity, even though it several months away. Of course, all sources, even quotes, would need to be acknowledged in order to avoid plagiarism. There is also the question as to whether a bibliography is or not included and this may depend on the form which the author chooses. There is also the question whether links and images would be an aspect of appreciation of the 'essays' or detract from the writing itself. It may be that each person has to navigate this and make choices rather than guidelines being too prescriptive. — Jack Cummins

And I think such would not be included in the word count Moliere but in-text would? — Amity

I don't want people to worry about the rules too, too much. I'm mostly hoping to hear from many contributors who are stretching their creative sides and trying out something new, insofar that they are enjoying themselves [...]

if anyone who is lukewarm on participation because they want more guidelines then please say something.
We can come up with more guidelines together if that's necessary for participation. — Moliere

I probably wouldn't write one, my essay skills have yet to evolve from early grade school (Paragraph 1: Introduction; Paragraphs 2 - 4: Three supporting reasons, Paragraph 5: Conclusion). Former English teacher once said to me: "Everything to write about has already been written, there is nothing new, only clever rehashing." He teaches philosophy at a major-ish university, last I was aware. I'm sure a few people here more intrepid than I could give him a run for his money, however. It'd be nice to see what gets submitted, that's for sure.

I think it would be good for both beginners and the more experienced.
To be challenged in ways other than writing in a thread. This would give people a chance to be creative and test themselves against others. Or simply for own enjoyment. That I would love to read :sparkle:

For revision, if needed! Or if other ways are better, suggestions welcome :up:

How to Read Philosophy
https://philosophy.tamucc.edu/texts/pryor-guidelines-on-reading-philosophy

How to Write Philosophy
Includes 7 links - one pdf by the highly recommended Pryor.
https://philosophy.tamucc.edu/resources/writing

The experienced, here, all know that. And I hope they will submit. — Amity

One of the reasons I thought this a fun activity is I like to read other people's thoughts, no matter what they are thinking. — Moliere

Hello and welcome to the Philosophy Writing Challenge - June 2025. — Moliere

Really great to see this challenge up and running. — Amity

I appreciate your initiative and the opportunity to take part. — RussellA

5) Submissions are to be anonymous. Don't advertise what you've written. — Moliere

....but...do you have something in mind already? — Amity