john locke essay competition 2020

Isn't all reasoning (outside mathematics and formal logic) motivated reasoning?

Tianyi Jia, Princeton High School, United States

Winner of the 2020 Psychology Prize​ | 8 min read 

Introduction

When voters vehemently defend a candidate after his or her weaknesses have been exposed, or smokers convince themselves that cigarettes are actually not as bad for their health as they  appear, these instances highlight how personal preferences can generally influence beliefs. People have a tendency to reason their way to favorable conclusions, with their proclivities guiding how evidence is gathered, arguments are evaluated, and memories are recollected.  These actions of reasoning are all driven by underlying motivations, leading to beliefs tinged with bias that can seem objective to the individual (Gilovich and Ross, 2016). Motivated  reasoning, a phenomenon studied in social psychology, can be defined as the “tendency to find arguments in favor of conclusions we want to believe to be stronger than arguments for  conclusions we do not want to believe” (Kunda, 1990). This concept often contrasts critical thinking, which is generally viewed as the rational, unbiased analysis of facts to form a judgment at the highest level of quality (Paul and Elder, 2009). In this essay, I will champion a case for motivated reasoning and in turn, prove why there is no such thing as “good” or  “accurate” critical thinking. Instead, all reasoning, outside mathematics and formal logic, is essentially motivated reasoning – justifications that are most desired instead of impartially reflect the evidence.

An Evolutionary Perspective

Motivated reasoning has been a pervasive tendency of human cognition, since the beginning of time, as it is ingrained in our basic survival instincts. Evolutionarily, people have been shown to utilize motivated reasoning to confront threats to the self. Research shows that people

weighed facts differently when those facts proved to be life-threatening. In 1992, Ditto and Lopez compared study participants who’d received either positive or negative medical test  results. Those who were told they’d tested positive for an enzyme associated with pancreatic disorders were more likely to believe the test was inaccurate and discredit the results (Ditto and Lopez, 1992). When it comes to our health and quality of life especially, we tend to delude ourselves. Although we may prefer that human decision making be a thoughtful and deliberative process, in reality, our motivations tip the scales to make us less likely to believe something is true if we do not wish to believe it. For instance, a study by Reed and Aspinwall  found that women who were caffeine drinkers engaged in motivated reasoning when they dispelled scientific evidence that caffeine consumption was linked to fibrocystic breast disease (Reed and Aspinwall, 1998).

In addition to protecting their health, evolutionarily, humans use motivated reasoning to bolster their self-esteem and protect their self-worth. A common example of this is the self-serving bias, which is “the tendency to attribute our successes to ourselves, and our failures to others

and the situation” (Stangor, 2015). For instance, students might attribute good test results to their own capabilities, but perform motivated reasoning and make a situational attribution to explain bad test results, all the while upholding the idea that they are intelligent beings. The phenomenon of the self-serving bias is widely considered to be essential for people’s mental health and adaptive functions (Taylor and Brown, 1994). It is thought to be a universal,  fundamental need of individuals for positive self-regard (Heine et al., 1999). That is, people are motivated to possess and maintain positive self-views, and in turn, minimize the negativity of their self-views – by glorifying one’s virtues and minimizing one’s weaknesses, relative to objective criteria. This basis begs the question of whether humans are truly ever able to process information in an unbiased fashion.

A Fight for Personal Beliefs

People not only interpret facts in a self-serving way when it comes to their health and  well-being; research also demonstrates that we engage in motivated reasoning if the facts  challenge our personal beliefs, and essentially, our moral valuation and present understanding of the world. For example, Ditto and Liu showed a link between people’s assessment of facts and their moral convictions; they found that individuals who had moral qualms about condom education were less likely to believe that condoms were an effective form of contraception  (Ditto and Liu, 2016). Oftentimes, the line between factual and moral judgments become blurred in this way.

In the context of identity, there are powerful social incentives that drive people’s thought processes. People strive for consistency among their attitudes and self-images. Festinger’s  cognitive dissonance theory highlights this tendency – he found that members of a group who believed in the end of the world for a predicted date became even more extreme in their views after that date had passed, in order to mitigate their cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1962).  Moreover, when it comes to voting, normatively, new negative information surrounding a preferred candidate should cause downward adjustment of an existing evaluation. However,  recent studies prove that the exact opposite takes place; voters become even more supportive of a preferred candidate when faced with negatively valenced information, with motivated  reasoning as the explanation for this behavior (Redlawsk et al., 2010). In a 2015 APA analysis, 41 experimental studies of bipartisan bias were examined, demonstrating that self-identified liberals and conservatives showed a robust partisan bias when assessing empirical evidence,  almost to an equal degree (Weir, 2017). Additionally, neuroscience research suggests that  “reasoning away contradictions is psychologically easier than revising feelings” (Redlawsk,

2011). Given the context of groupthink and one’s group identity, the bias’ prevalence is powerful and persistent. Ultimately, people are psychologically motivated to support and maintain existing evaluations, even when confronted with disconfirming information, as to take an opposing viewpoint against a group would damage one’s reputation and challenge one’s  existing social identity.

The Illusion of Objectivity

With the exception of mathematics and formal logic, all reasoning, essentially, is motivated  reasoning. When it comes to decision-making and critical thinking, total unbiased analysis or evaluation of factual evidence, is largely illusory. In reality, we act based on an incomplete  vision, perceived through filters constructed by our individual history and personal preferences. To scientifically operate on an objective level cannot be achieved. Every second, we as humans receive and process thousands of bits of information from our environment. To consciously  analyze all of the sensory stimuli would be overwhelming; thus, our brain utilizes pre-existing knowledge and memory to filter, categorize and interpret the data we receive. The brain  extrapolates information it believes to be missing or eliminates those deemed extraneous, to form a considerably coherent image (Thornton, 2015). Each person has unique filters that prevent them from being unbiased, even on a granular level, to cope with life’s complexity.  Whether we are aware of our biases or not, affective contagion occurs, a phenomenon where “conscious deliberation is heavily influenced by earlier, unconscious information processing” (Strickland et al., 2011).

Even in scientific journals, statistical analysis is utilized to provide a stamp of objectivity to conclusions. However, people tend to use statistical information in a motivated way, further perpetuating the illusion of objectivity. Berger and Berry argue that although objective data from an experiment can be obtained, “reaching sensible conclusions from the statistical  analysis of this data requires subjective input,” and the role of subjectivity inherent in the interpretation of data should be more acknowledged (Berger and Berry, 1988).  Similarly, in law, lawyers and advocates for both the prosecution and the defense utilize motivated reasoning to prove innocence or guilt. The judge’s job, on the other hand, is to  eliminate motivational bias in their own assessment of evidence when drawing up a conclusion. However, the interpretation of the law can be skewed; sometimes, preferred outcomes, based on legally irrelevant factors, drive the reasoning of judges too, without their full awareness.  Redding and Reppucci examined whether the sociopolitical views of state court judges motivated their judgments about the dispositive weight of evidence in death penalty cases. They found that judges’ personal views on the death penalty did indeed influence their decisions (Sood, 2013).

In the modern day, one of the greatest promises of artificial intelligence and machine learning is a world free of human biases. Scientists believed that operating by algorithm would create gender equality in the workplace or sidestep racial prejudice in policing. But studies have shown that even computers can be biased as well, especially when they learn from humans,  adopting stereotypes and schemas analogous to our own. Biases can creep into algorithms; recently, ProPublica found that a criminal justice algorithm in Florida mislabeled  African-American defendants as “high risk,” approximately twice the rate it mislabeled white defendants (Larson and Angwin, 2016).

Essentially, I demonstrate that all reasoning, aside from logic-based, is essentially motivated.  Ultimately, to support preferred conclusions, people unknowingly display a bias in their cognitive processes that underlie reasoning. Even though we can never fully be rid of  motivated reasoning, consistently striving towards an unbiased evaluation of facts is still key to achieving rigorous standards for decision-making. With today’s media landscape and the internet, a deviation from a purely fact-based evaluation has been amplified; it is now easier than ever to operate in an echo chamber and choose which sources of information fit one’s preferred reality. A report by Stanford’s Graduate School of Education found that students  ranging from middle school to college were all poor at evaluating the quality of online information (Donald, 2016). Fake-news websites and the spread of misinformation that have proliferated in the past decade, all compound the problem. Mistrust of the media has increasingly grown to become a powerful tool for motivated reasoning.  To restore our faith in facts, media literacy must take place. I champion improving existing channels of communication so that they help us to identify the roots of our biases, then  encourage us to adjust our beliefs accordingly. Becoming aware of our deeply-rooted tendencies and thinking mechanisms is valuable, as it enables us to make decisions with more lucidity and transparency, and hopefully, for the betterment of our world.

Bibliography

Berger, J. O., & Berry, D. A. (1988). Statistical analysis and the illusion of objectivity. Infectious Diseases Newsletter, 7(8), 62. doi:10.1016/0278-2316(88)90057-6

Ditto, P. H., & Liu, B. S. (2016). Moral Coherence and Political Conflict. Social Psychology of Political Polarization, 102-122. doi:10.4324/9781315644387-6

Ditto, P. H., & Lopez, D. F. (1992). Motivated skepticism: Use of differential decision criteria  for preferred and nonpreferred conclusions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(4), 568-584. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.4.568

Donald, B. (2016, December 15). Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online. Retrieved 2020, from  https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-researchers-find-students-have-trouble-judging-credibility-  information-online

Festinger, L. (1962). Cognitive Dissonance. Scientific American, 207(4), 93-106. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1062-93

Gilovich, T., & Ross, L. (2016). The wisest one in the room: How you can benefit from social psychology's most powerful insights. New York, New York: Free Press.

Heine, S. J., Lehman, D. R., Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1999). Is there a universal need for positive self-regard? Psychological Review, 106(4), 766-794. doi:10.1037/0033-295x.106.4.766

Kunda, Z. (1990). The case for motivated reasoning. Psychological Bulletin, 108(3), 480-498. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480

Larson, J., & Angwin, J. (2016, May 23). Machine Bias. Retrieved 2020, from  https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2009). Critical Thinking, Creativity, Ethical Reasoning: A Unity of  Opposites. Morality, Ethics, and Gifted Minds, 117-131. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-89368-6_8

Redlawsk, D. P. (2011, April 22). The Psychology of the 'Birther' Myth. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/04/21/barack-obama-and-the-psychology-of-the- birther-myth/a-matter-of-motivated-reasoning

Redlawsk, D. P., Civettini, A. J., & Emmerson, K. M. (2010). The Affective Tipping Point: Do Motivated Reasoners Ever “Get It”? Political Psychology, 31(4), 563-593. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2010.00772.x

Reed, M. B., & Aspinwall, L. G. (1998). Self-Affirmation Reduces Biased Processing of  Health-Risk Information. Motivation and Emotion, 22, 99-132. doi:10.1023/A:1021463221281

Sood, A. M. (2013). Motivated Cognition in Legal Judgments—An Analytic Review. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 9(1), 307-325. doi:10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-102612-134023

Stangor, C. (2015). Principles of Social Psychology. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Open Textbook Library.

Strickland, A. A., Taber, C. S., & Lodge, M. (2011). Motivated Reasoning and Public Opinion.  Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 36(6), 935-944. doi:10.1215/03616878-1460524

Thornton, E. (2015). The objective leader: How to leverage the power of seeing things as they are. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Weir, K. (2017). Why we believe alternative facts: How motivation, identity and ideology combine to undermine human judgment. Monitor on Psychology, 48(5), 24.

All essayists must register here by 11:59PM BST on 31 May 2024.

Enter your email address below to:

Register (if this is your first time here)

or Login (if you have already registered).

Upcoming Summer 2024 Application Deadline is May 12, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

Featured Posts

8 Great Research Opportunities in Mechanical Engineering for High School Students in 2024

How To Get Into MIT: 9 Insider Secrets From An MIT Alum

Summer Discovery at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management - Is It Worth It?

8 STEM Programs for Middle School Students

7 Coding Programs for High School Students

Applying to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders? Here Are 10 Tips to Help You Out

California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Should You Do It?

10 Free Engineering Programs for High School Students

10 Online Summer Programs for Middle School Students

Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP) - Our Review

• 12 min read

The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

Humanities and social sciences students often lack the opportunities to compete at the global level and demonstrate their expertise. Competitions like ISEF, Science Talent Search, and MIT Think are generally reserved for students in fields like biology, physics, and chemistry.

At Lumiere, many of our talented non-STEM students, who have a flair for writing are looking for ways to flex their skills. In this piece, we’ll go over one such competition - the John Locke Essay Competition. If you’re interested in learning more about how we guide students to win essay contests like this, check out our main page .

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The essay competition is one of the various programs conducted by the John Locke Institute (JLI) every year apart from their summer and gap year courses. To understand the philosophy behind this competition, it’ll help if we take a quick detour to know more about the institute that conducts it.

Founded in 2011, JLI is an educational organization that runs summer and gap year courses in the humanities and social sciences for high school students. These courses are primarily taught by academics from Oxford and Princeton along with some other universities. The organization was founded by Martin Cox. Our Lumiere founder, Stephen, has met Martin and had a very positive experience. Martin clearly cares about academic rigor.

The institute's core belief is that the ability to evaluate the merit of information and develop articulate sound judgments is more important than merely consuming information. The essay competition is an extension of the institute - pushing students to reason through complex questions in seven subject areas namely Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law​.

The organization also seems to have a strong record of admissions of alumni to the top colleges in the US and UK. For instance, between 2011 and 2022, over half of John Locke alumni have gone on to one of eight colleges: Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

How prestigious is the John Locke Contest?

The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program.

Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you in your application process to universities and would reflect well on your application. On the other hand, a shortlist or a commendation might not have a huge impact given that it is awarded to many students (more on this later).

What is the eligibility for the contest?

Students, of any country, who are 18 years old or younger before the date of submission can submit. They also have a junior category for students who are fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline.

Who SHOULD consider this competition?

We recommend this competition for students who are interested in social sciences and humanities, in particular philosophy, politics, and economics. It is also a good fit for students who enjoy writing, want to dive deep into critical reasoning, and have some flair in their writing approach (more on that below).

While STEM students can of course compete, they will have to approach the topics through a social science lens. For example, in 2021, one of the prompts in the division of philosophy was, ‘Are there subjects about which we should not even ask questions?’ Here, students of biology can comfortably write about topics revolving around cloning, gene alteration, etc, however, they will have to make sure that they are able to ground this in the theoretical background of scientific ethics and ethical philosophy in general.

Additional logistics

Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration).

If you are using an in-text-based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

You can submit as many essays as you want in any and all categories. (We recommend aiming for only one given how time-consuming it can be to come up with a single good-quality submission)

Important dates

Prompts for the 2023 competition will be released in January 2023. Your submission will be due around 6 months later in June. Shortlisted candidates will be notified in mid-July which will be followed by the final award ceremony in September.

How much does it cost to take part?

What do you win?

A scholarship that will offset the cost of attending a course at the JLI. The amount will vary between $2000 and $10,000 based on whether you are a grand prize winner (best essay across all categories) or a subject category winner. (JLI programs are steeply-priced and even getting a prize in your category would not cover the entire cost of your program. While the website does not mention the cost of the upcoming summer program, a different website mentions it to be 3,000 GBP or 3600 USD)

If you were shortlisted, most probably, you will also receive a commendation certificate and an invitation to attend an academic ceremony at Oxford. However, even here, you will have to foot the bill for attending the conference, which can be a significant one if you are an international student.

How do you submit your entry?

You submit your entry through the website portal that will show up once the prompts for the next competition are up in January! You have to submit your essay in pdf format where the title of the pdf attachment should read SURNAME, First Name, Category, and Question Number (e.g. POPHAM, Alexander, Psychology, Q2).

What are the essay prompts like?

We have three insights here.

Firstly, true to the spirit of the enlightenment thinker it is named after, most of the prompts have a philosophical bent and cover ethical, social, and political themes. In line with JLI’s general philosophy, they force you to think hard and deeply about the topics they cover. Consider a few examples to understand this better:

“Are you more moral than most people you know? How do you know? Should you strive to be more moral? Why or why not?” - Philosophy, 2021

“What are the most important economic effects - good and bad - of forced redistribution? How should this inform government policy?” - Economics, 2020

“Why did the Jesus of Nazareth reserve his strongest condemnation for the self-righteous?” - Theology, 2021

“Should we judge those from the past by the standards of today? How will historians in the future judge us?” - History, 2021

Secondly, at Lumiere, our analysis is that most of these prompts are ‘deceptively rigorous’ because the complexity of the topic reveals itself gradually. The topics do not give you a lot to work with and it is only when you delve deeper into one that you realize the extent to which you need to research/read more. In some of the topics, you are compelled to define the limits of the prompt yourself and in turn, the scope of your essay. This can be a challenging exercise. Allow me to illustrate this with an example of the 2019 philosophy prompt.

“Aristotelian virtue ethics achieved something of a resurgence in the twentieth century. Was this progress or retrogression?”

Here you are supposed to develop your own method for determining what exactly constitutes progress in ethical thought. This in turn involves familiarizing yourself with existing benchmarks of measurement and developing your own method if required. This is a significant intellectual exercise.

Finally, a lot of the topics are on issues of contemporary relevance and especially on issues that are contentious . For instance, in 2019, one of the prompts for economics was about the benefits and costs of immigration whereas the 2020 essay prompt for theology was about whether Islam is a religion of peace . As we explain later, your ‘opinion’ here can be as ‘outrageous’ as you want it to be as long as you are able to back it up with reasonable arguments. Remember, the JLI website clearly declares itself to be, ‘ not a safe space, but a courteous one ’.

How competitive is the JLI Essay Competition?

In 2021, the competition received 4000 entries from 101 countries. Given that there is only one prize winner from each category, this makes this a very competitive opportunity. However, because categories have a different number of applicants, some categories are more competitive than others. One strategy to win could be to focus on fields with fewer submissions like Theology.

There are also a relatively significant number of students who receive commendations called “high commendation.” In the psychology field, for example, about 80 students received a commendation in 2022. At the same time, keep in mind that the number of students shortlisted and invited to Oxford for an academic conference is fairly high and varies by subject. For instance, Theology had around 50 people shortlisted in 2021 whereas Economics had 238 . We, at Lumiere, estimate that approximately 10% of entries of each category make it to the shortlisting stage.

How will your essay be judged?

The essays will be judged on your understanding of the discipline, quality of argumentation and evidence, and writing style. Let’s look at excerpts from various winning essays to see what this looks like in practice.

Level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material: Differentiating your essay from casual musing requires you to demonstrate knowledge of your discipline. One way to do that is by establishing familiarity with relevant literature and integrating it well into their essay. The winning essay of the 2020 Psychology Prize is a good example of how to do this: “People not only interpret facts in a self-serving way when it comes to their health and well-being; research also demonstrates that we engage in motivated reasoning if the facts challenge our personal beliefs, and essentially, our moral valuation and present understanding of the world. For example, Ditto and Liu showed a link between people’s assessment of facts and their moral convictions” By talking about motivated reasoning in the broader literature, the author can show they are well-versed in the important developments in the field.

Competent use of evidence: In your essay, there are different ways to use evidence effectively. One such way involves backing your argument with results from previous studies . The 2020 Third Place essay in economics shows us what this looks like in practice: “Moreover, this can even be extended to PTSD, where an investigation carried out by Italian doctor G. P. Fichera, led to the conclusion that 13% of the sampling units were likely to have this condition. Initiating economic analysis here, this illustrates that the cost of embarking on this unlawful activity, given the monumental repercussions if caught, is not equal to the costs to society...” The study by G.P. Fichera is used to strengthen the author’s claim on the social costs of crime and give it more weight.

Structure, writing style, and persuasive force: A good argument that is persuasive rarely involves merely backing your claim with good evidence and reasoning. Delivering it in an impactful way is also very important. Let’s see how the winner of the 2020 Law Prize does this: “Slavery still exists, but now it applies to women and its name in prostitution”, wrote Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. Hugo’s portrayal of Fantine under the archetype of a fallen woman forced into prostitution by the most unfortunate of circumstances cannot be more jarringly different from the empowerment-seeking sex workers seen today, highlighting the wide-ranging nuances associated with commercial sex and its implications on the women in the trade. Yet, would Hugo have supported a law prohibiting the selling of sex for the protection of Fantine’s rights?” The use of Victor Hugo in the first line of the essay gives it a literary flair and enhances the impact of the delivery of the argument. Similarly, the rhetorical question, in the end, adds to the literary dimension of the argument. Weaving literary and argumentative skills in a single essay is commendable and something that the institute also recognizes.

Quality of argumentation: Finally, the quality of your argument depends on capturing the various elements mentioned above seamlessly . The third place in theology (2020) does this elegantly while describing bin-Laden’s faulty and selective use of religious verses to commit violence: “He engages in the decontextualization and truncation of Qur'anic verses to manipulate and convince, which dissociates the fatwas from bonafide Islam. For example, in his 1996 fatwa, he quotes the Sword verse but deliberately omits the aforementioned half of the Ayat that calls for mercy. bin-Laden’s intention is not interpretive veracity, but the indoctrination of his followers.” The author’s claim is that bin-Laden lacks religious integrity and thus should not be taken seriously, especially given the content of his messages. To strengthen his argument, he uses actual incidents to dissect this display of faulty reasoning.

These excerpts are great examples of the kind of work you should keep in mind when writing your own draft.

6 Winning Tips from Lumiere

Focus on your essay structure and flow: If logic and argumentation are your guns in this competition, a smooth flow is your bullet. What does a smooth flow mean? It means that the reader should be able to follow your chain of reasoning with ease. This is especially true for essays that explore abstract themes. Let’s see this in detail with the example of a winning philosophy essay. “However, if society were the moral standard, an individual is subjected to circumstantial moral luck concerning whether the rules of the society are good or evil (e.g., 2019 Geneva vs. 1939 Munich). On the other hand, contracts cannot be the standard because people are ignorant of their being under a moral contractual obligation, when, unlike law, it is impossible to be under a contract without being aware. Thus, given the shortcomings of other alternatives, human virtue is the ideal moral norm.” To establish human virtue as the ideal norm, the author points out limitations in society and contracts, leaving out human virtue as the ideal one. Even if you are not familiar with philosophy, you might still be able to follow the reasoning here. This is a great example of the kind of clarity and logical coherence that you should strive for.

Ground your arguments in a solid theoretical framework : Your essay requires you to have well-developed arguments. However, these arguments need to be grounded in academic theory to give them substance and differentiate them from casual opinions. Let me illustrate this with an example of the essay that won second place in the politics category in 2020. “Normatively, the moral authority of governments can be justified on a purely associative basis: citizens have an inherent obligation to obey the state they were born into. As Dworkin argued, “Political association, like family or friendship and other forms of association more local and intimate, is itself pregnant of obligation” (Dworkin). Similar to a family unit where children owe duties to their parents by virtue of being born into that family regardless of their consent, citizens acquire obligations to obey political authority by virtue of being born into a state.” Here, the author is trying to make a point about the nature of political obligation. However, the core of his argument is not the strength of his own reasoning, but the ability to back his reasoning with prior literature. By quoting Dworkin, he includes important scholars of western political thought to give more weight to his arguments. It also displays thorough research on the part of the author to acquire the necessary intellectual tools to write this paper.

The methodology is more important than the conclusion: The 2020 history winners came to opposite conclusions in their essays on whether a strong state hampers or encourages economic growth. While one of them argued that political strength hinders growth when compared to laissez-faire, the other argues that the state is a prerequisite for economic growth . This reflects JLI’s commitment to your reasoning and substantiation instead of the ultimate opinion. The lesson: Don’t be afraid to be bold! Just make sure you are able to back it up.

Establish your framework well: A paragraph (or two) that is able to succinctly describe your methodology, core arguments, and the reasoning behind them displays academic sophistication. A case in point is the introduction of 2019’s Philosophy winner: “To answer the question, we need to construct a method that measures progress in philosophy. I seek to achieve this by asserting that, in philosophy, a certain degree of falsification is achievable. Utilizing philosophical inquiry and thought experiments, we can rationally assess the logical validity of theories and assign “true” and “false” status to philosophical thoughts. With this in mind, I propose to employ the fourth process of the Popperian model of progress…Utilizing these two conditions, I contend that Aristotelian virtue ethics was progress from Kantian ethics and utilitarianism.” Having a framework like this early on gives you a blueprint for what is in the essay and makes it easier for the reader to follow the reasoning. It also helps you as a writer since distilling down your core argument into a paragraph ensures that the first principles of your essay are well established.

Read essays of previous winners: Do this and you will start seeing some patterns in the winning essays. In economics, this might be the ability to present a multidimensional argument and substantiating it with data-backed research. In theology, this might be your critical analysis of religious texts .

Find a mentor: Philosophical logic and argumentation are rarely taught at the high school level. Guidance from an external mentor can fill this academic void by pointing out logical inconsistencies in your arguments and giving critical feedback on your essay. Another important benefit of having a mentor is that it will help you in understanding the heavy literature that is often a key part of the writing/research process in this competition. As we have already seen above, having a strong theoretical framework is crucial in this competition. A mentor can make this process smoother.

Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re looking for a mentor to do an essay contest like John Locke or want to build your own independent research paper, then consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program . Last year over 2100 students applied for about 500 spots in the program. You can find the application form here.

You can see our admission results here for our students.

Manas is a publication strategy associate at Lumiere Education. He studied public policy and interactive media at NYU and has experience in education consulting.

Jesus loves you!

Feeling overwhelmed with academic demands? Don't worry, I've got you covered! I just found a website that provides assistance with research papers. From topic https://www.phdresearchproposal.org/ selection to formatting, they offer comprehensive support throughout the writing process. Say goodbye to academic stress!

Everything You Should Know about the John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition

By Jin Chow

Co-founder of Polygence, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Education

2 minute read

We first wrote about the world-famous John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition in our list of 20 writing contests for high school students . This contest is a unique opportunity to refine your argumentation skills on fascinating and challenging topics that aren’t explored in the classroom.

The Oxford philosopher, medical doctor, political scientist, and economist John Locke was a big believer in challenging old habits of the mind. In that spirit, the JLI started this contest to challenge students to be more adventurous in their thinking. 

While not quite as prestigious as getting published in The Concord Review , winning the grand prize or placing in one of the 7 categories of the JLI Essay Competition can get your college application noticed by top schools like Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. Awards include $2,000 scholarships (for category winners) and a $10,000 scholarship for the grand prize. (The scholarships can be applied to the JLI’s Summer Schools at Oxford, Princeton, or Washington D.C., or to its Gap Year programs in Oxford, Guatemala, or Washington, D.C.) 

But winning isn’t necessarily the best thing about it. Simply entering the contest and writing your essay will give you a profound learning experience like no other. Add to that the fact that your entry will be read and possibly commented on by some of the top minds at Oxford and Princeton and it’s free to enter the competition . The real question is: why wouldn’t you enter? Here’s a guide to get you started on your essay contest entry.

Eligibility

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is open to any student anywhere in the world , ages 15-18. Students 14 or under are eligible for the Junior prize. 

JLI Essay Competition Topics

The essay questions change from year to year. You can choose from 7 different categories (Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law). Within each category, there are 3 intriguing questions you can pick from. When you’re debating which question to write about, here’s a tip. Choose whichever question excites, upsets, or gives you any kind of strong emotional response. If you’re passionate about a topic, it will come through in your research and your writing. If you have any lived experience on the subject, that also helps. 

re are some sample questions the 2023 contest for each of the seven JLI essay subject  categories and the Junior Prize (the questions change each year):

Philosophy : Is tax theft? 

Politics : Do the results of elections express the will of the people?

Economics : What would happen if we banned billionaires?  

History : Which has a bigger effect on history: the plans of the powerful or their mistakes?

Psychology : Can happiness be measured?

Theology : What distinguishes a small religion from a large cult?

Law : Are there too many laws?

Junior Prize : What, if anything, do your parents owe you?

John Locke Writing Contest Requirements

Your essay must not exceed 2,000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration) and must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category. No footnotes are allowed, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. 

Timeline and Deadlines

January - New essay questions are released

April 1st - Registration opens

May 31st   - Registration deadline

June 30th - Essay submission deadline

We highly recommend you check the JLI website as soon as the new questions are released in January and start researching and writing as soon as you can after choosing your topic. You must register for the contest by the end of May. The deadline for the essay submission itself is at the end of June, but we also recommend that you submit it earlier in case any problems arise. If you start right away in January, you can have a few months to work on your essay. 

John Locke Institute Essay Competition Judging Criteria

While the JLI says that their grading system is proprietary, they do also give you this helpful paragraph that describes what they are looking for: “Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material , the competent use of evidence , quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind . Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful. Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible. ” (We’ve bolded important words to keep in mind.) 

You can also join the JLI mailing list (scroll to the bottom of that page) to get contest updates and to learn more about what makes for a winning essay.

Research and Essay Writing Tactics

Give yourself a baseline. First, just write down all your thoughts on the subject without doing any research. What are your gut-level opinions? What about this particular question intrigued you the most? What are some counter-arguments you can think of right away? What you are trying to do here is identify holes in your knowledge or understanding of the subject. What you don’t know or are unsure about can guide your research. Be sure to find evidence to support all the things you think you already know. 

Create a reading/watching list of related books, interviews, articles, podcasts, documentaries, etc. that relate to your topic. Find references that both support and argue against your argument. Choose the most highly reputable sources you can find. You may need to seek out and speak to experts to help you locate the best sources. Read and take notes. Address those questions and holes in the knowledge you identified earlier. Also, continue to read widely and think about your topic as you observe the world from day to day. Sometimes unrelated news stories, literature, film, songs, and visual art can give you an unexpected insight into your essay question. Remember that c is a learning experience and that you are not going to have a rock-solid argument all at once.

Read past winning essays . These will give you a sense of the criteria judges are using to select winning work. These essays are meant to convince the judges of a very specific stance. The argument must be clear and must include evidence to support it. You will note that winning entries tend to get straight to the point, show an impressive depth of knowledge on the subject with citations to reputable sources, flow with excellent reasoning, and use precise language. They don’t include flowery digressions. Save that for a different type of writing.

Proof your work with a teacher or mentor if possible . Even though your argument needs to be wholly your own, it certainly helps to bounce ideas around with someone who cares about the topic. A teacher or mentor can help you explore different options if you get stuck and point you toward new resources. They can offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses. Working with a teacher or mentor is important for another reason. When you submit your entry, you will be required to provide the email address of an “academic referee” who is familiar with your work. This should be a teacher or mentor who is not related to you. 

Research and Prepare for your Competition or Fair

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. Our highly-specialized mentors can help guide you to feel even more prepared for an upcoming fair or competion. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

Our Services

College Admissions Counseling

UK University Admissions Counseling

EU University Admissions Counseling

College Athletic Recruitment

Crimson Rise: College Prep for Middle Schoolers

Indigo Research: Online Research Opportunities for High Schoolers

Delta Institute: Work Experience Programs For High Schoolers

Graduate School Admissions Counseling

Private Boarding & Day School Admissions

Online Tutoring

Essay Review

Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships

Our Leaders and Counselors

Our Student Success

Crimson Student Alumni

Our Reviews

Our Scholarships

Careers at Crimson

University Profiles

US College Admissions Calculator

GPA Calculator

Practice Standardized Tests

SAT Practice Test

ACT Practice Tests

Personal Essay Topic Generator

eBooks and Infographics

Crimson YouTube Channel

Summer Apply - Best Summer Programs

Top of the Class Podcast

ACCEPTED! Book by Jamie Beaton

Crimson Global Academy

+1 (646) 419-3178

A Complete Guide To ✨The John Locke Essay Competition✨

Join our exclusive info session if want to find out more about the john locke competition and what it takes to enter an award-winning essay. session 1: 5 pm (gmt-0) feb 24th session 2: 3 am (gmt-0) feb 25th, are you ready to make a mark in the prestigious john locke essay competition.

Join us for an exclusive information session that unveils the secrets to success in this renowned competition.

During this enlightening info session, you will:

📚 Discover what the John Locke Essay Competition is all about and why it's a golden opportunity for aspiring writers.

🎓 Uncover the winning strategies and techniques to ace the competition and stand out from the crowd.

🌐 Engage with experts who have excelled in the competition and get valuable tips on crafting an impressive essay.

🤝 Q&A…and so much more!

The John Locke Essay Competition is your gateway to excellence, and we invite you to a special information session to guide you on the path to success!

Register today, and receive a special GIFT for attending the webinar!

Fill in your details below to sign up for the event.

I agree to the privacy policy

I want to receive study pathways, free resources and admissions guidance from Crimson Education Group.

Who should join?

Ambitious students

who aims for top universities

Session 1: 5 PM (GMT-0) Feb 24th

Session 2: 3 AM (GMT-0) Feb 25th

Online via Zoom

(aka anywhere!)

Meet the Speaker

Benjamin Goldstein

• A Fulbright Scholar, a graduate of Oxford, Columbia, and Cambridge
• A former head coach for the Concord Review history journal
• Has personally overseen essay submissions by many past John Locke winners
• Extensively working with hundreds of students over the past five years tutoring students in historical research and writing skills

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The John Locke essay competition is a famous, worldwide essay competition. Winners and honorably mentioned individuals in this competition have gone on to Oxford, Princeton, and other Ivy Leagues.

Even getting an honorable mention, not to mention achieving a top 3 spot in the competition, is an incredible addition to your admissions profile, recognized by admissions officers from Harvard to Stanford and beyond as one of the most prestigious achievements possible for a high school student!

Crimson Students’ Success

Every year we celebrate our students’ outstanding results in this highly competitive essay competition. Working with their dedicated mentors, they submit work that has already been shortlisted with numerous student recipients of the major prize(s).

From Law to Economics to History, our students have been shortlisted across numerous categories with a special mention for junior prize winners (Crimson Rise students!) from across the US, Asia, and all over the world.

In 2023, a 35% Global Shortlist Rate in comparison to the global average of < 10% was achieved after taking our most recent John Locke Essay Competition Masterclass!

Ready to join?

Sharpening your writing skills and boosting your chances of success in the john locke essay competition.

Highly Commended John Locke Essays

Two of our Upper Sixth Form pupils have received awards in the prestigious John Locke Essay Competition 2020. Both Isabella Ludlam (D) and Brioni Leung (D) were Highly Commended for their essays on theology and psychology.

Based at Oxford and Princeton Universities, the John Locke Essay Competition invites students from across the world to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions across seven subjects: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law.

This year, the judges received nearly three thousand entries from eighty different countries. It took the panel of thirty-five university examiners from Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard and Chicago, two weeks to assess all the entries, taking into consideration independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style.

Isabella tackled the essay question in the theology category titled: “Many people have committed acts, execrated and deplored by others, in obedience to sincerely held beliefs. Can we reasonably ask anyone to do better than simply to obey his own conscience?”

Brioni submitted an essay in the psychology category titled: “Are the psychological differences between genders greater or smaller than those between sexes?”

Related News

Trips ● 22 Apr 2024

A journey of culture and language through China

Trips ● 18 Apr 2024

The Politics and History of America in Washington DC

School ● 17 Apr 2024

Appointment of new Head from September 2025

• Group Class Schedule

John Locke Essay Competition Guide

This manual is for high school students who want to enter the John Locke Essay Competition but are unsure of where to begin.

Do you want to improve your chances of getting into a top-tier university? Schedule your consultation with Tokyo Academics today!

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The John Locke Institute, a non-profit institution of higher learning with offices in Oxford, UK, hosts the John Locke Essay Competition. The John Locke Institute employs professors from prominent institutions like Oxford, Princeton, Brown, and Buckingham University.

Young people are urged by the John Locke Institute to develop the qualities of great authors, including independence of thought, breadth of knowledge, clarity of reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasiveness. Students are pushed to investigate a variety of issues outside the scope of their academic program.

Participants may be students from any country and institution. The tournament has two levels: a high school level for students between the ages of 15 and 18 and a junior prize level for middle school children between the ages of 14 and 13.

What subjects will be covered throughout the competition?

Less than 2000 words must be used in the argumentative essay that students must submit. Philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law are the major themes of the competitions.

The questions for the John Locke Essay Competition for 2021 are:

Q1. What is the likelihood of the multiverse? Would it make a difference if we discovered the theory was correct (somehow)?

Q2. Do we ultimately bear responsibility for our decisions if our capacities and preferences—which in turn are products of our genetic make-up and the environment in which we happen to live—are the causes of our actions?

Q3. Is it right to use the power of the law to extort money from individuals in order to pay philosophers to engage in philosophical discourse?

Q4. If ever, when may actions involving only willing adults be morally wrong?

Q1. Should political donations be permitted?

Q2. If anything, what do wealthy countries owe developing ones?

Q3. Do you believe in the concept of a common good?

Q4. Is it true that a good citizen is also a decent person? Do decent people make good citizens by default?

Q1. Blessing or curse: Bitcoin?

Q2. What’s wrong with the housing market, specifically? How can this be fixed?

Q3. Should Amazon increase employee pay? What would happen if they upped every employee’s pay by 20% right away?

Q4. Is the land value tax proposed by Henry George just, effective, both, or neither?

Q1. Did the British empire have any positive aspects?

Q2. Does China have an imperial past?

Q3. Has Western civilization been slipping away?

Q4. Do events create leaders, or do leaders create events?

Q1. Do humans become nastier over time?

Q2. Is there a psychological difference between males and women? Is it important?

Q3. Are there any mental illnesses that don’t end up being physical?

Q4. Is it rational to despise someone for their opinions?

Q1. Why would God be so vague?

Q2: “A primitive human’s conception of a tremendous entity is the God of the Bible and the Koran… However, a really ultimate deity would not behave in such a way.” Is it a holy book with evidence of divine authorship?

Q3. And your faith is worthless if Christ has not been risen, according to question three. Is it possible to be a Christian without acknowledging Jesus’ extraordinary resurrection?

Q4. Is faith anything more than an unsure belief based on scant evidence?

Q1. Does prison work?

Q2. “People who serve on juries are uninformed, prejudiced, and not shrewd enough to escape jury duty.” Should Trial by Jury be eliminated?

Q3. Should “hate crimes” receive harsher penalties than similar crimes with different motivations?

Q4: How do justice and the law relate to one another?

JUNIOR award (for age 14 and younger)

Q1. Which existential peril are people underestimating?

Q2. What age should be required for consent for permanent sex reassignment surgery?

Q3. How valuable were the lockdowns?

Q4: What does it mean to be equal to others?

Q5. If there were a 100% inheritance tax, what would happen?

Q6. Which era and location would you visit on your next vacation if you could go back in time? How would you get ready for your journey? What difficulties would you encounter over the first 24 hours and how would you handle them?

Q7. Should it be okay to give away some products but prohibited to sell others?

Which student skills are evaluated by the John Locke Essay Competition?

• Basic knowledge of ideas and principles in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, or the law
• Mastery of fundamental writing structures and expertise in argumentative essay writing
• Autonomous thought, logical analysis techniques, and written persuasion

What is the argumentative essay’s basic organization?

An argumentative essay differs from other sorts in that it needs to have a simple, understandable structure, as well as a strong point of view and supporting evidence. We’ll use an essay from the John Locke Essay Competition in 2020 that won first place in the junior category as an example. The prompt was “Who should own your data? Whichever businesses you choose to share your data with, everyone, just you, or nobody?” You can access the essay’s link here .

An effective argumentative essay should have the following format:

Introductory paragraph:

This paragraph should give a general overview of the subject under debate and provide background information relevant to your argument.

Today, we produce unfathomable amounts of data, leading the OECD to call data a “key pillar of 21st-century growth.”[1] Legislators, politicians and the popular press have increasingly called for ownership of data.[2] 

Describe the discussion’s focus and provide background data on data ownership.

Ownership is generally defined as “full and complete control with recognised legal rights,” with legal discretion for the rightsholder to exploit, change, destroy, possess, exclude others from and transfer their property.[3] An ownership right for personal data does not currently exist in the legal statutes of any industrialized country.[4] Property laws intentionally exclude personal data from subject matter definitions and newly introduced regulatory frameworks do not specify data ownership.[5] [6]

Give a broad definition of the topic. The definition of ownership and the issue of data ownership that is not addressed by the ownership rule are covered by the author in this paragraph.

The thesis statement:

Here, students should state their position and the supporting evidence they will use to support it. The major arguments that will be covered in the body paragraphs should be introduced in the thesis statement, which should be a succinct exposition of your main point.

In 1893, Sir William Blackstone noted the human fascination with ownership, saying we desire “sole and despotic dominion … in total exclusion of rights of other individuals in the universe.”[7] In this case, that fascination detracts from the problems and solutions surrounding personal data today. An ownership right should not be created for data. To illustrate this, I shall explore the implications of assigning a data ownership right to corporations, everybody, individuals and then discuss why data should not be owned at all.

Give your opinion on the subject and the first supporting piece of evidence. In response to the question of who should own the data, the author said that data shouldn’t be held by businesses, people, or anybody else, as he detailed later in the body paragraph.

Body paragraph:

A body paragraph explains the primary arguments supporting your thesis. If you want to focus on three primary ideas, only one notion should be included in each body paragraph. To increase credibility and win readers’ trust, you can back up your arguments using examples, research, studies, statistics, and any other data. You can also raise competing arguments in the body paragraphs and explain why you disagree with them. The main goal of the argument is to express your viewpoint, justify the reader’s acceptance of it, and support any contrary claims with solid evidence.

The student offered four primary justifications in the winning essay for why businesses, people, and everyone else shouldn’t own data. He also talked about the effects of these entities owning the data.

Conclusion : 

In conclusion, you should restate your thesis and summarize your points. The hardest part of writing a conclusion is making it personal by inserting an anecdote or a personal experience that relates to the subject.

Today, policy makers must strike a balance between individual rights and extracting societal benefits of data. It is the subject of age-old philosophical debate; whether to prioritize a categorical imperative of privacy at the expense of utilitarian societal progress. Assigning data ownership to a single party means choosing a side, one side will inevitably lose out – sacrificing progress or privacy. Thankfully, reality does not reflect this simplistic trade-off. Ergo, legislators must continue to push for a sector-specific rights-based regulatory framework to complement existing efforts and forgo the need to legislate through assigning data ownership. Therefore, I believe, data should remain as is, res nullius – “property of no one.”

This is an excellent example of a conclusion because the author reiterates his original thesis—that data shouldn’t be held by anyone—as well as what would happen if you gave people control of their data.

What are the John Locke Essay Competition’s awards?

• Each subject category winner will get a scholarship for any John Locke Institute program worth $2000 (US dollars) as part of their prize.
• The author of the overall winning essay will receive a scholarship of $10,000 (USD) to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or gap year programs.
• The essays will be posted online by the Institute.
• Networking possibilities with judges and other John Locke Institute professors.

Each year, hundreds of students compete in the prestigious John Locke Essay Competition. If you plan to be part of them, we highly recommend you find out more about our Essay Counseling program by clicking here . We have specialized tutors who can help you write a compelling essay. Schedule your free trial now !

+1 (603) 932 7897

[email protected].

Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition History Questions

• Last modified 2024-03-07
• Published on 2024-03-07

1. John Locke Essay Competition History Questions 2024

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century, and why did this change?

Let’s break this question down into smaller themes to make sure your essay is comprehensive. There are three outstanding topics: the industrial revolution, how it led to new technologies, and global trade. It could be interesting to look at industrial revolutions through time, and the vast differences between the first industrial revolution and the current one today with the advent of AI. Overall, this question involves analyzing the effects of growth and change in society and how these things interact with the economy. What factors, especially with the rise of new technologies, globalization, and revolutions of all kinds, have had a direct or indirect impact on the economy’s ability to grow; and, more importantly, why? Which of these factors has been the most influential, and how does this factor intersect with other changes in our world to impact the notion of economy and how it interacts with society?

While writing the essay, don’t forget to integrate evidence from secondary sources, primary sources, and economic data to support your argument.

Q2: Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

This question requires that students think about the effects that music can have on society, politics, culture, or any field that students are interested in exploring. Questions like these are a great opportunity for students to not only explore questions about historical change, but also to challenge themselves to think more abstractly and, possibly, in more obscure ways. As this question is incredibly broad, students should think critically about a specific era or piece of music that they believe changed the course of history to focus on in their essays. Then, they should make sure to consider both how this music impacted society, and why it did so. It could also be useful to consider the implications of music’s ability (or inability) to change history, and what conditions it must meet in order to do so, as well as if there is other music that has changed history or could do so in the future.

Additionally, students should think about what kinds of evidence would be appropriate to demonstrate their argument. Similar to the first question, students should include primary and secondary sources to highlight or oppose their argument. Some examples could include memoirs of musicians and performers, interview notes, or historical accounts of events.

Q3: Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

This question gives students an opportunity to explore a wide range of issues. This is primarily a history question that requires students to understand what defines a  civilization, civilizations that have collapsed in the past, and the concrete internal and external causes of that collapse, including (but not limited to) the political, social, and environmental dynamics. In addition, students should also think about how these things caused a civilization to collapse and why. Then, they should apply this knowledge and the historical conditions of collapse to our current civilization and critically analyze our risk based on the similarities of these factors, as well as considering any new factors that may have an impact on societal collapse that did not exist in the past. Also, it could show deeper analytical thinking to include any potential measures that we could take to prevent or mitigate the collapse of our civilisation.

When discussing the causes of collapse and explaining whether our current civilization is in danger, students should include historical evidence that is linked together with rigorous argumentation. For an essay to be effective, facts are important, but they must also be presented in a cohesive argument and, even more importantly, must have sentences and paragraphs around those facts that explain to the reader why those specific facts and arguments are important in a greater context.  

Some General Tips for Students to Keep in Mind While Writing Their Essay

Analyze the questions and link them to John Locke’s philosophy

Take the time to understand the essay prompt and what the question is asking for. By drawing connections between Locke’s philosophy and the essay prompt, you can provide a nuanced and insightful analysis that demonstrates a deep understanding of both the question and Locke’s ideas. This approach not only showcases your comprehension of the material but also allows you to engage critically with the topic at hand.

What is John Locke’s Philosophy?

John Locke was an incredibly influential figure in social and political philosophy during the 1600’s. John Locke believed that there was no such thing as the ‘divine right’ of kings and queens to rule, and proposed a much more progressive set of ideas for that time. This included the idea that human beings have a natural right to life, liberty, and property that cannot be taken away by those in positions of power. This idea was highly influential in the creation of things like the Declaration of Independence and other foundational documents and ideals. His ideas were based on the idea of a social contract formed between a leader and common citizens that guarantees these essential rights, and, if broken, gives communities the moral imperative to change or oust leadership. When considering John Locke’s philosophy while writing your essay, it is important to do further research and explore all of John Locke’s ideas as well as the ideas of those who opposed him so that you can effectively apply them to your topic.

Clear reasoning with evidence drawn from extensive research

Once you decide on your stance about the question, it’s important to present your argument with logical reasoning and strong evidence from reputable sources. Students can utilize a variety of sources, including academic journals, books, and scholarly articles to gather relevant information and develop a well-informed argument. In addition, make sure that you have a strong thesis statement and that your structure and ideas are presented clearly, allowing your reader to navigate your essay with ease.

Engage in critical analysis

In addition to providing reasoning and evidence that support students’ arguments, students should also examine alternative perspectives to show that they have the ability to evaluate evidence critically– specifically the strengths and weaknesses of different viewpoints. The most important part of an argumentative essay is to answer the question, “so what?” Students should consider the wider implications of their argument, as well as why their audience should deeply care about what they have to say.

Refine Your Writing Style

This type of essay falls under the argumentative essay type. This essay type requires a third-person perspective throughout the introduction, body, and conclusion. Students should also use headings and transitions to create a smooth flow and overview of ideas without providing an excess of information.

Proofreading and Editing

Before submitting your essay and throughout the writing process, always seek feedback from peers and teachers to gain valuable insights and perspectives on your essay to help you make revisions and create the best essay you possibly can.

Further reading:

• Complete Guide to John Locke Essay Competition 2024
• Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition Economics Questions

Aralia’s John Locke Competition Prep

In this John Locke Essay Competition Prep course, students will learn the ins and outs of essay writing, in preparation for entering the competition. We offer prep classes in all categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Students will choose one topic, compose an original thesis and argument, and write an essay for submission. Students will engage in a guided analysis of primary and secondary sources, develop critical thinking skills, and discover interesting insights. In addition to the group lecture classes, students will receive guidance on their individual projects from the instructor, in one-on-one sessions.

• Competitions

Interested in learning more?

Aralia Education is an innovative online education platform for ambitious middle and high school students worldwide. Aralia’s instructors propel students forward by helping them build a strong foundation in traditional academic courses. They also actively engage and guide students in exploring personal interests beyond their school curriculum. With this holistic approach, Aralia ensures its students are well-prepared for college and equipped for success in their future careers.

• College Accelerator Program
• Comprehensive Introduction to High School
• Academic Empowerment Program
• Test Preparation Bootcamp
• Private Lessons
• Student Awards

Give us a call: +1 (603) 932 7897

Email us: [email protected]

Add us on WhatsApp: