Community guides · Education
Posting in r/philosophy: the unwritten rules a sidebar won't tell you
r/philosophy values primary sources over secondary, citations over confidence, and acknowledged limits over universal claims.
What's hot in r/philosophy now
What people are actually discussing
Top threads from the last month — what's getting engagement right now.
- Plato's key argument on leadership is that running the government is a skilled trade, and like any other trade, some are terrible at it.
- “I’m disgusted to be a human”: What to do when you hate your own species according to Buddhism
- Insects may feel pain. Whether or not you have a moral duty to protect them from harm is up for debate.
What this sub rewards
How replies earn upvotes here
- Back specific claims with evidence — research, data, or named sources. Primary sources beat secondary. Wikipedia is a starting point, not a citation.
- Acknowledge limitations, trade-offs, or uncertainty when relevant. Mark what's contested vs settled. Historical interpretation evolves; physics doesn't.
- Offer multiple options or perspectives, not a single prescription. Name 2–3 frameworks for the same question. Single-framework answers get pushback.
What good looks like
Real comments that landed in r/philosophy
Two recent highly-upvoted replies. Notice what they have in common — concrete, no preamble, no self-promotion.
"The best elected leaders are the ones who appoint bureaucrats who are skilled at running the government."
""What to do when you hate your own species according to Buddhism" There are only 2 references to Buddhism: one to a scholar betting on a self-coined concept named "active hope" which just redefines the word to mean something it doesn't, and a very loose, indirect one related to acting without attachment, which also doesn't mean what the text says…"
Your pre-reply checklist
Before you hit Reply — four quick checks
Does my comment add something specific, not just an opinion?
A useful reply names a number, a method, a personal experience, or a concrete example. If you could replace your draft with "I agree" and lose nothing, rewrite.
Have I read the top 3 comments already on this thread?
If the highest-upvoted reply already says what you were about to say, your comment will sink. Add what's missing — counterexamples, edge cases, the next step — not what's there.
Would my reply still work if my username was removed?
If it only makes sense because it promotes you, your product, or your platform, this sub will spot it. Frame the value as "this solved it for me," not "check out my…"
Did I skim the sidebar rules one more time?
Every sub has at least one rule that surprises outsiders — peer-review only, no images, no specific tags, no off-topic. Five seconds in the sidebar can save you a removal.
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