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An ‘essay’ can mean many different things, but for most philosophy students it means an assignment which aspires to imitate the aims and style of an article in a contemporary academic philosophy journal. There is, of course, another kind of philosophy essay, the kind that is usually taken to begin with Montaigne. This other philosophy essay has various characteristics, which mark it out against its academic counterpart. Most importantly, the author appears directly as an idiosyncratic character, writing in the first person, rather than an impartial, authoritative voice. Often, this kind of essay has a particular or quite specific subject, which does not appear to have the universal significance of the academic article or treatise. Montaigne wrote on cannibals, fatherly love, liars and so on, rather than the knowledge or morality. The reader is invited into an ongoing conversation, rather than told, step by step, how things are. While many of the traditional tools of philosophy are used along the way, the reader is not expected to have specialist knowledge, but rather to be an interested member of the reading public.Ìý

One aim of the course is that students will study examples of this other kind of essay, beginning with Montaigne, and including other well-known philosophical essayists from the past (Rousseau, Emerson, Adorno) and present, including recently published personal-philosophical essays. One assignment will take such an essay, and subject it to a standard, academic, philosophical analysis. What is its argument and how might that argument be criticised? What is gained and lost by choosing this particular essay form?

Another aim of the course, however, is that students will write their own personal philosophy essay. As well as studying essays, that is, students will learn about the craft and process of writing an essay like this for a contemporary magazine or journal: choosing a venue; writing a proposal; drafting the essay and responding to editorial comments.