Essay Contest #2

An Essay at the End of the World

Thank you for so many wonderful essay submissions for our inaugural Night Owls essay contest! This week, we’d like to hear your thoughts and philosophical reflections on the end of the world. To enter, please submit an 800-word essay, a poem, or a story to ChicagoPhilosophyNightOwls@gmail.com. You may use the following prompt to help guide your thoughts:

When catastrophe strikes, apocalyptic themes tend to crop up all over the place – in literature, popular media, and even in casual conversation. But the idea of the end of the world is far from new. For centuries, human beings have anticipated and reflected on the “end” in myth, art, and religion. Why are we so interested in the end of the world, and what does it say about us as a species? What is the significance of different ways of representing the end of the world? What does it even mean for the world to end? Some possible themes you might use to guide your reflection are as follows:

  • Climate change
  • Pandemics and war
  • Religious and mythic representation of the end of the world
  • Apocalyptic literature
  • (Human) finitude

Submissions are due Wednesday, April 15, at 3 pm CST.

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