John Locke Global Essay Prize 2026 Philosophy Prompts Breakdown
The John Locke Institute has just released the prompts for their international essay writing competitions for high school students. They have released three prompts for each of the following categories, philosophy, politics, economics, history, law, psychology, international relations, public policy, science & technology and theology. Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration).
To be eligible to compete, one's 19th birthday must fall after 31 May, 2026. Given this easily satisfied requirement for high school students the world over, many compete in this competition, making it incredibly competitive.
The John Locke Competition is one of the most prestigious essay writing competitions for high school students. It ranks alongside the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards as a humanities extracurricular activity that would impress admissions officers. Placing competitively in this competition could be what convinces an admissions officer at an elite university to admit an applicant.
One major difference between the John Locke competition and the Scholastic Writing and Arts Awards is that it has a right-wing, instead of a left-wing focus. Past winning essays have argued for fringe ideas like anarcho-capitalism. The John Locke Institute is committed to upholding the principles of classical liberalism espoused by John Locke, the founder of liberalism. Being liberal in Europe has a different connotation than it does in the U.S. While liberalism in the U.S. is associated with center-left politics like the Democratic Party, in Europe, it denotes what Americans would call libertarians, who believe in laissez-faire economic policies and upholding individual freedom to the point that it might enable individuals to infringe on the liberties of others, such as individuals having the right to deny service to people at their place of business due to their sexual orientation.
Despite the competition's right-wing focus, and the well-known left-wing bias of academics and admissions officers, high school students can place competitively without arguing for positions that would decrease their likability with a left-wing audience when applying to college.
We have extensive experience guiding applicants through this competition and are proud to have students who received at least a commendation from the judges. In this article, we will outline the three philosophy questions they ask and provide resources, along with cliff notes for these resources, to help start one's journey towards drafting compelling answers to these questions.
Philosophy Q1: Is it ever wrong to do the right thing for the wrong reasons?
John Locke's Works
1. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)
Book II, Chapter XXI "Of Power" examines the relationship between will, desire, and action
Discusses how motives shape voluntary action and moral evaluation
Locke argues we pursue what we perceive as good, raising questions about whether motives can be separated from actions
Book IV addresses moral knowledge and how we reason about right and wrong
2. Two Treatises of Government (1689)
Chapter II discusses natural law as accessible to reason, not dependent on particular motivations
Locke's political theory focuses on actions and their consequences rather than inner states
Relevant for examining whether political legitimacy depends on rulers' motives or their actions
3. Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
Discusses the formation of virtue and character through habit
Argues children should be taught to act rightly, with good motives developing later
Suggests right action may precede and eventually produce right motivation
Examines relationship between external behavior and internal disposition
4. The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695)
Addresses faith, works, and the relationship between belief and action
Discusses whether sincere belief is necessary for moral credit
Relevant for examining religious perspectives on motive and action
Historical Resources
1. Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics"
Book II defines virtue as requiring right action, right time, right manner, and right motive
The virtuous person acts "for the sake of the noble"
Distinguishes continent person (acts rightly despite bad desires) from truly virtuous person
Foundation for view that motives matter intrinsically to moral evaluation
2. Immanuel Kant's "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals" (1785)
Argues only actions done from duty have moral worth
Famous shopkeeper example: honest dealing from self-interest lacks moral value
Distinguishes acting in accordance with duty from acting from duty
Most influential philosophical defense of motive's moral centrality
3. John Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism" (1861)
Chapter II explicitly addresses motive's role in moral evaluation
Argues "the motive has nothing to do with the morality of the action"
Motive affects our evaluation of the agent, not the act itself
Classic consequentialist position that outcomes determine rightness
4. David Hume's "An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals" (1751)
Section V discusses benevolence and self-interest as motives
Argues natural virtues produce good effects regardless of underlying motivation
Relevant for examining whether consequences or character matter more
5. Thomas Aquinas's "Summa Theologica"
I-II, Questions 18-20 address the morality of human acts
Distinguishes object, end, and circumstances in moral evaluation
Argues a good act done for a bad end is morally defective
Influential framework combining act and motive assessment
Contemporary Resources
1. Nomy Arpaly's "Unprincipled Virtue" (2003)
Argues against Kantian emphasis on conscious moral reasoning
Defends "inverse akrasia": acting well despite believing it wrong
Huckleberry Finn example: helping Jim despite believing it sinful
Shows good motives can be unconscious and contrary to stated reasons
2. Michael Stocker's "The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories" (1976)
Argues modern ethics creates split between motive and justification
Visiting a sick friend "because it maximizes utility" seems alienated
Influential critique of both Kantian and utilitarian approaches to motive
Framework for "one thought too many" problem
3. Bernard Williams's "Moral Luck" (1981)
Title essay examines how factors beyond control affect moral assessment
"Persons, Character, and Morality" discusses integrity and personal projects
Argues impartial moral demands can conflict with what gives life meaning
Relevant for examining whether right action requires impartial motivation
4. Marcia Baron's "Kantian Ethics Almost Without Apology" (1995)
Sophisticated defense of Kantian position on moral worth
Argues duty as motive is compatible with other motives
Addresses "cold and calculating" objection to Kant
Shows Kantian view more nuanced than simple motive-centrism
5. Julia Driver's "Uneasy Virtue" (2001)
Defends consequentialist virtue ethics
Argues virtues are traits that produce good consequences
Motives matter only instrumentally, for their effects
Provides framework for defending motive-indifference
6. T.M. Scanlon's "What We Owe to Each Other" (1998)
Chapter 1 discusses reasons and motivation
Argues morality concerns what principles we could justify to others
Relevant for examining whether justifiability depends on actual motives
Key Questions and Issues to Address
Definitional Challenges
What makes a reason "wrong"? Self-interest, malice, indifference, false belief?
What makes an action "right"? Consequences, conformity to duty, accordance with virtue?
Can we cleanly separate the act from the motive, or are they conceptually entangled?
Theoretical Frameworks
Consequentialism: Does the goodness of outcomes exhaust moral evaluation?
Deontology: Does acting from duty add moral worth beyond right action?
Virtue ethics: Is character assessment inseparable from act assessment?
How would Locke's empiricism approach this question?
Test Cases to Consider
Giving to charity for tax benefits or social recognition
Saving a drowning child to impress onlookers
Telling the truth only because lies are inconvenient
Kant's shopkeeper: honest dealing from pure self-interest
The reluctant hero who acts rightly despite fear or aversion
Dimensions of "Wrong"
Morally worse than acting with good motives?
Morally blameworthy despite the right action?
Evidence of bad character even when acting well?
Less praiseworthy but not actually wrong?
Practical Implications
Should we care about politicians' motives if they enact good policies?
Does it matter why companies behave ethically?
How should we evaluate our own mixed motives?
Philosophy Q2: What consolations does philosophy offer?
John Locke's Works
1. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)
Book I argues against innate ideas, suggesting we must construct knowledge ourselves
Book IV, Chapter XIX on enthusiasm warns against false consolations of unreasoned belief
Locke's empiricism offers consolation through understanding our actual cognitive situation
Framework for distinguishing genuine from illusory consolations
2. Two Treatises of Government (1689)
Chapter XIX on tyranny offers political consolation: unjust power will eventually fall
Natural rights framework provides consolation that human dignity has rational foundation
Argues reason can discern legitimate from illegitimate authority
3. A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689)
Addresses how to live with religious disagreement
Offers consolation through limiting what coercion can achieve
Argues for the inviolability of individual conscience
4. Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
Discusses cultivation of virtue as path to happiness
Offers practical consolation through self-improvement
Connects philosophical education to living well
Historical Resources
1. Boethius's "The Consolation of Philosophy" (524 CE)
Classic text directly addressing philosophy's consolatory power
Lady Philosophy appears to imprisoned Boethius facing execution
Arguments about fortune, providence, and the highest good
Shows philosophy consoling through understanding cosmic order
2. Seneca's "Letters from a Stoic" and "On the Shortness of Life"
Practical Stoic wisdom for facing adversity, death, exile, loss
Argues philosophy teaches us what is "up to us" and what is not
Consolation through acceptance of what cannot be changed
Model of philosophy as therapy for the soul
3. Epicurus's "Letter to Menoeceus" and Principal Doctrines
Argues philosophy removes fear of death and gods
"Death is nothing to us" as philosophical consolation
Pleasure properly understood leads to tranquility (ataraxia)
Philosophy as cure for unnecessary anxieties
4. Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations"
Emperor's private philosophical journal
Stoic exercises for maintaining equanimity
Consolation through cosmic perspective and impermanence
Shows philosophy as ongoing practice, not just doctrine
5. Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations"
Book III specifically addresses grief and consolation
Argues philosophy can moderate all passions
Roman synthesis of Greek philosophical therapy
Connects philosophy to rhetoric and practical wisdom
6. Spinoza's "Ethics" (1677)
Part V on the power of the intellect over emotions
Argues understanding causes of emotions diminishes their power
"Sub specie aeternitatis": seeing things from perspective of eternity
Rational love of God/Nature as highest blessedness
Contemporary Resources
1. Martha Nussbaum's "The Therapy of Desire" (1994)
Examines Hellenistic philosophy as therapeutic practice
Argues ancient philosophers saw philosophy as medicine for the soul
Defends contemporary relevance of philosophical therapy
Framework for understanding philosophy's consolatory tradition
2. Pierre Hadot's "Philosophy as a Way of Life" (1995)
Argues ancient philosophy was spiritual exercise, not just theory
Shows how philosophical practices aimed at transformation
Recovered view of philosophy as lived wisdom
Essential for understanding what consolation meant historically
3. Alain de Botton's "The Consolations of Philosophy" (2000)
Accessible treatment of six philosophers on common problems
Addresses unpopularity, poverty, frustration, inadequacy, heartbreak, difficulties
Shows philosophy applicable to everyday life
Popular introduction to philosophy's practical value
4. Simon Critchley's "Notes on Suicide" (2015) and "The Book of Dead Philosophers" (2008)
Examines how philosophers faced death
Questions whether philosophy actually prepares us for mortality
Ambivalent about philosophy's consolatory power
Important counterpoint to optimistic views
5. Kieran Setiya's "Midlife: A Philosophical Guide" (2017)
Uses philosophy to address midlife crisis
Distinguishes telic (goal-directed) from atelic (ongoing) activities
Shows philosophy can reframe our relationship to time and achievement
Contemporary example of philosophical self-help
6. Massimo Pigliucci's "How to Be a Stoic" (2017)
Modern application of Stoic philosophy
Argues ancient wisdom remains practically relevant
Specific techniques for dealing with adversity
Representative of contemporary Stoic revival
7. John Cottingham's "On the Meaning of Life" (2003)
Examines philosophy's capacity to address life's meaning
Argues philosophy alone may be insufficient for full consolation
Discusses relationship between philosophy and spirituality
Nuanced view of philosophy's limits and possibilities
Key Questions and Issues to Address
Definitional Challenges
What counts as "consolation"? Comfort, acceptance, understanding, transformation?
Which philosophy? Academic discipline, Hellenistic therapy, general wisdom?
Consolation for what? Death, loss, meaninglessness, injustice, ordinary unhappiness?
Types of Philosophical Consolation
Cognitive: Understanding causes of suffering
Practical: Techniques for managing emotions and responses
Metaphysical: Placing individual life in larger cosmic context
Ethical: Finding meaning through virtue and right action
Social: Community of fellow inquirers
Skeptical Challenges
Does philosophy actually console, or merely intellectualize pain?
Can arguments change how we feel, or only how we think?
Is philosophical consolation available only to intellectuals?
Does philosophy's honesty preclude comforting illusions?
Comparative Questions
How does philosophical consolation compare to religious consolation?
Can philosophy console without answering ultimate questions?
Does scientific understanding console or disenchant?
Historical versus Contemporary
Have we lost ancient philosophy's therapeutic dimension?
Can academic philosophy recover its consolatory function?
What would philosophy as therapy look like today?
Philosophy Q3: Why is incest wrong?
John Locke's Works
1. Two Treatises of Government (1689)
Chapter VI "Of Paternal Power" discusses family relationships and their natural basis
Locke distinguishes natural authority of parents from political authority
Chapter VII "Of Political or Civil Society" begins with conjugal society
Framework for understanding family as foundational social unit with natural structure
2. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)
Book I, Chapter III argues moral rules are not innate but learned
Addresses cultural variation in moral practices, including marriage customs
Relevant for examining whether incest prohibitions are universal or culturally constructed
Book II discusses how we form complex moral ideas
3. Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
Discusses proper relationships between family members
Emphasizes formation of character within family context
Relevant for understanding family roles and boundaries
4. The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695)
Addresses natural law and its relationship to divine command
Relevant for examining religious foundations of sexual ethics
Historical Resources
1. Aristotle's "Politics"
Book I discusses household as foundation of political community
Distinguishes different types of rule within household
Framework for understanding family structure and its natural basis
Relevant for examining whether family roles have natural foundations
2. Thomas Aquinas's "Summa Theologica"
II-II, Question 154 addresses species of lust including incest
Argues incest violates natural ordering of family relationships
Distinguishes degrees of consanguinity and their moral significance
Influential natural law framework for sexual ethics
3. Immanuel Kant's "Metaphysics of Morals" (1797)
Doctrine of Right discusses marriage and sexual ethics
Argues sexual relations require marriage to avoid treating persons as objects
Framework for examining dignity-based objections to incest
Relevant for duty-based approach to sexual ethics
4. David Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature" (1739-40)
Book III discusses artificial versus natural virtues
Addresses how social conventions shape moral sentiments
Relevant for examining incest taboo as social construction versus natural response
Challenges purely rationalist approaches to moral prohibitions
5. Sigmund Freud's "Totem and Taboo" (1913)
Influential psychoanalytic account of incest taboo's origins
Argues taboo exists because of, not despite, incestuous desires
Oedipus complex as universal psychological structure
Important for understanding psychological approaches to the question
6. Claude Lévi-Strauss's "The Elementary Structures of Kinship" (1949)
Argues incest taboo marks transition from nature to culture
Exogamy (marrying out) creates social bonds between groups
Incest prohibition as foundation of human society
Structural anthropological approach
Contemporary Resources
1. Jonathan Haidt's research on moral dumbfounding
Famous "Julie and Mark" thought experiment on consensual adult sibling incest
Shows people maintain moral judgment even when they can't articulate reasons
Argues moral intuitions may not reduce to harm-based reasoning
Influential challenge to purely rationalist ethics
2. Martha Nussbaum's "Hiding from Humanity" (2004)
Examines disgust's role in law and morality
Argues disgust is unreliable guide to moral truth
Critiques "politics of disgust" including in sexual regulation
Framework for examining whether disgust-based objections are legitimate
3. Alan Soble's "The Philosophy of Sex" (various editions)
Anthology covering philosophical approaches to sexual ethics
Includes discussions of consent, harm, and sexual morality
Framework for examining what makes sexual acts wrong
Represents range of contemporary philosophical positions
4. Igor Primoratz's "Ethics and Sex" (1999)
Systematic philosophical treatment of sexual morality
Defends liberal view that consent is central to sexual ethics
Addresses incest as test case for consent-based views
Important for understanding libertarian approaches
5. Patrick Lee and Robert George's "Body-Self Dualism in Contemporary Ethics" (2008)
Natural law arguments about sexual ethics
Argues certain sexual acts violate bodily integrity and human goods
Represents conservative philosophical position
Framework for non-consequentialist objections to incest
6. Debra Lieberman and Adam Smith's research on Westermarck effect
Evolutionary psychology of incest aversion
Shows childhood co-residence produces sexual disinterest
Kibbutz studies as evidence for natural aversion mechanism
Relevant for examining biological basis of incest taboo
7. Johann Hari's "Incest: Why It's Wrong" and liberal critiques
Examines whether harm-based arguments adequately explain prohibition
Tests whether consensual adult incest poses genuine ethical problem
Representative of challenges to traditional prohibitions
Important for examining limits of liberal sexual ethics
Key Questions and Issues to Address
Definitional Challenges
Which relationships count as incestuous? Siblings, parents/children, cousins, step-relations?
Does the question assume incest is wrong, or genuinely ask whether it is?
Are we asking about the act, the relationship, or both?
Candidate Explanations
Harm to offspring: Genetic risks of inbreeding
Power imbalance: Exploitation within family relationships
Consent problems: Grooming, manipulation, developmental asymmetries
Family integrity: Confusion of roles, destruction of family function
Disgust: Natural aversion as moral signal
Social function: Exogamy requirement for social bonds
Natural law: Violation of proper ordering of relationships
Intrinsic wrongness: Wrong regardless of consequences
Problem Cases
Consensual adult siblings who meet as adults (genetic strangers)
Consensual adult incest with contraception (no offspring risk)
Step-relations (no genetic connection)
Adoptive relations (no genetic connection)
Post-reproductive age incest
These cases test whether standard explanations are sufficient
Theoretical Frameworks
Consequentialism: Is incest wrong only when it causes harm?
Deontology: Are there duties regarding family relationships?
Virtue ethics: What does incest reveal about character?
Natural law: Does incest violate human nature or natural purposes?
Meta-ethical Questions
If we can't articulate reasons, does that undermine the judgment?
Can disgust be evidence of moral truth?
How much weight should evolutionary explanations carry?
Does universal taboo indicate moral truth or merely shared psychology?
If you are overwhelmed by the number of sources and complexity of answering these questions, we understand. English teachers don't prepare high school students to tackle such formidable challenges in philosophy. But we do. Schedule a free consultation with a John Locke competition writing expert today and learn how to unpack all of these sources to write a coherent and logically sound 2000 word essay which will earn you a competitive placing in this competition and impress admission officers.
Work With Our John Locke Expert Coaches
If you are overwhelmed by the number of sources and complexity of answering these questions, we understand. English teachers don't prepare high school students to tackle such formidable challenges in philosophy. But we do.
Cosmic College Consulting has helped students earn shortlists, commendations, and prizes in the John Locke Competition. Our three expert coaches have collectively supervised 50+ John Locke essays and bring deep expertise in philosophy, politics, economics, and academic writing.
Marcus Lewis
John Locke Specialist | Scholastic Writing Expert
Supervised 25+ John Locke Competition essays with 10+ students earning commendations
Extensive Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards coaching, most students earn Gold or Silver Keys
Experience across fiction, satire, and argumentative essay forms
Coached students for Columbia Undergraduate Law Review Essay Competition (1 shortlist)
Additional experience with Profiles in Courage, Harvard Economics Essay, Bowseat, Engineer Girl, and Patricia Grodd Poetry competitions
Dr. Jason Goldfarb
PhD, Duke University | Published Academic & Periodical Writer
Supervised 25+ John Locke Competition essays, students have earned shortlists, Junior Prize placements, and top commendations
Supervised 10+ independent student research papers
Guided student publications in TeenInk, Scholastic, and IEEE Harvard
Published author in professional academic journals and popular periodicals
Brings doctoral-level expertise in constructing rigorous academic arguments
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Schedule a free consultation with one of our John Locke expert coaches today. Learn how to unpack these sources, develop a compelling thesis, and write a coherent, logically sound 2000-word essay that will earn you a competitive placing in this competition and impress admissions officers.
