The Minds Underground™ Philosophy Essay Competition 2026
The Minds Underground™ Philosophy Essay Competition 2026 invites students in Year 12 (with entries also welcome from ambitious younger students and re-applicants in Year 13) to explore fundamental questions about knowledge, ethics, logic, and existence.
This competition challenges students to think with clarity and depth about the nature of truth, belief, and reasoning - from the philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence to questions about education, morality, and the purpose of philosophical inquiry itself.
Open to UK and international students, the competition offers an opportunity to develop analytical writing, argumentation, and critical-thinking skills highly valued by universities and beyond. Entrants should choose one question to answer.
The 2026 Minds Underground Philosophy Essay Competition questions are now live. Submit by 3 April 2026!
2026 Philosophy Essay Competition Questions
01
Can machines possess free will?
02.
Why do you believe what your teachers tell you?
03.
What is the point of philosophy?
Are you in Year 11/12 & Thinking of Pursuing Philosophy at Degree Level/ Oxbridge?
We offer a range of exciting opportunities for students aspiring to a degree in Philosophy at a leading university:
Research Projects in exciting current fields with subject experts
Philosophy Summer School for university/ Oxbridge applicants
Long-term Oxbridge Philosophy mentoring: Boosting knowledge beyond the curriculum, preparing for personal statement and interviews - visit our on-curriculum site, U2 Tuition for more information: https://www.u2tuition.com/university-applications
Interested in a Philosophy Competition Mentor? Looking for specialist support researching & writing? Our Oxbridge-educated masterminds are here to help! Sessions from £75/h + VAT. Enquire here
Past Questions
01
If you lost a leg, would you be the same person?
02.
Theseus was a Greek hero. He went on a long journey around the world on his prized ship. During the voyage, every single plank of wood in the ship got replaced. When he returned home, he said: I have sailed round the world in the same ship. Someone told him he was wrong because every single plank has been replaced. Theseus disagreed. Who is right?
03.
‘It may be bad taste to commit genocide in a computer game, but it is no more wrong than it would be right to alleviate world poverty in a computer game.’ Do you agree?
N.B. MU’s Philosophy experts are on hand to host introductory sessions and masterclasses on any of the topics discussed. Check out our current Philosophy masterclasses for some inspiration or check out the examples below!
In this masterclass, you will be introduced to the popular topic, Philosophy of Mind, weighing in on the current uprise of artificial intelligence; we will discuss thought-provoking philosophical ideas: the Turing test, the Chinese Room, what it truly means to 'think' and 'be conscious', and the implications of this for modern life.
Host: Hazel is a graduate from the University of Oxford in Philosophy and Theology and is currently reading for his Master’s, also at Oxford, this year. Hazel is passionate about Philosophy and is also a published poet!
Duration: Suggested 1-2 hours, dependent on the level of detail desired.
This masterclass will introduce you to Aesthetics by exploring some of the key ideas that this area of philosophy engages, such as the meaning, value and definition of art. This will lead to a wide-ranging discussion of artistic meaning, taking in a wide scope of issues including: functional art, political art, artistic intentionalism, attitudes to art, morality and art, good vs. bad art and more. What does artwork mean? Who decides what is art? You will review some of the frameworks for defining art and the common theories of artistic meaning that are propounded.
Duration: Suggested 1-2 hours, dependent on the level of detail desired. If aesthetics is of particular interest, you may be interested in taking further masterclasses on art & interpretation, Aristotle’s Aesthetics and Plato’s Aesthetics.
This is one of the key topics explored in undergraduate philosophy and covers a range of views from (i) all that matters for regarding someone as the same person from one day to the next is psychological continuity (i.e. if a different body woke up with my consciousness then that is still me) to (ii) all that matters is physical continuity (i.e. even if I woke up with someone else's consciousness then that is still me).
An initial introduction to the core theories is followed by a discussion of some of the bizarre implications of each theory. For example, (i) implies that if two different bodies woke up with your consciousness they are both you, but given that these will then go on to interact with the world differently and have different conscious experience, they will not be psychologically continuous with each other (has the odd implication that, whilst they are both you, they aren't the same person as they aren’t psychologically continuous with each other!).
This is a fascinating topic, providing a close insight into the manner in which philosophers approach ideas: starting with our intuitive ideas about something (in this case that “personhood” has something to do with psychological or physical continuity) and then interrogating the odd implications of each strand of thought in order to assess which strands of thought are integral to a theory and which are (essentially) distractions/confusions.
Host: Learn from Oxford University Alan Webster Prize for Philosophy recipient, Becky.
Duration: Suggested 1-2 hours, dependent on the level of detail desired.