Photo of young woman in library sitting at table writing philosophical reflections in journal. — Explore your worldview & the mysteries of the universe with these deep philosophical journal prompts.

Philosophical writing prompts for your journal

Journaling about life's profound questions can offer valuable insights into your personal worldview. By gaining a deeper understanding of how you see the world, you become more aware of the reasons behind your actions and the way you approach life. Allowing your mind to explore these deeper inquiries also opens you up to the mysteries of existence and the vastness of the universe. I invite you to grab your journal and reflect on life’s mysteries with these deep philosophical journal prompts.

Philosophical journal prompts

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How do you know that an action is right or wrong? What does it mean for something to be right or wrong, ethically speaking? Is doing what is right important? Why or why not?
Is it ever ethically okay to do something wrong? If so, when is it okay to something wrong?
What is the meaning of life?
If you change over time and your cells change over time, what makes you still you?
Why is there something rather than nothing? Where did the first thing in the universe come from?
What does it mean to live an authentic life? Is living an authentic life important?
Is there a God or gods? How do you know? If there is a God or gods, should God/gods be worshiped? If so, why? If there is God/gods what is the nature of God/gods?
How do we learn things and how do we know if something is correct if we don’t already know the thing we’re learning?
Do humans have free will? If a person has free will, why do they choose to do one thing instead of another thing?
Is time travel possible?
Does evil exist? If so, what makes something evil? Why does evil exist?
Is there life after death?
Do we really perceive reality, or are we perceiving something else? Dogs navigate the world by relying heavily on their sense of scent and bats use sound waves to navigate in the dark, so are they perceiving a different reality than you are?
What does it mean for something to be true?
What does it mean to live a good life?
What is justice? Does justice matter? Why or why not?
What makes a government a good government?
If only the present moment ever really exists, does time actually exist outside the mind?
What makes something art? Can a computer create art?
What is beauty? How do you know something is beautiful?
Do aliens exist? If aliens existed, how might that change your conception of what it means to be human?
Do we owe certain moral rights to animals? Why or why not?
Are humans part of nature, or something else? Why do you think that?
Can someone have a right to something even if no one else has a duty to provide that thing to them?
Are humans basically good or bad? Is there a better way to describe the basic nature of humans (rather than saying humans are basically good or basically bad)?
Is there a set purpose that everyone in life has? Do we each create our own purpose? Does having a purpose for life matter? Why or why not?