# How can I improve clarity in philosophical posts? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Learning Zone\ **Created:** [October 18, 2026, 9:05am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646 "2026-10-18T09:05:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 9:05am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/1 "2026-10-18T09:05:46Z")
I was checking my activity on Quillbot. For those who do not know about it, Quillbot is an AI assistant for correcting English grammar. If you are a premium member, it also helps you to put the paragraphs in “context” and improve the level of fluency. I hardly use this tool because, paradoxically, the AI gives a different result from what I had in mind. When the conversation is about books, The Shoutbox pickwickian adventures, and other lighter conversations the result is good: ![Captura de pantalla 2026-10-18 a las 10.42.03](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/uploads/thephilosophyforum/original/2X/5/5b01916f16bfcb25d33a0bd38e2e7f94eb377b12.png) However, when I try to be more serious and discuss philosophy (even in the most recent “philosophy chat”), I see that clarity goes down. I only correct my grammar and misspellings; I don’t ask the tool to change the phrases or whatever: ![Captura de pantalla 2026-10-18 a las 11.03.00](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/uploads/thephilosophyforum/original/2X/b/b3022177af503d7a94d7fa60754e4b8835604347.png) I began to question whether the recipients (basically, you lads 💔) fully understood my messages or if they were unclear. If this is the case, I think the philosophical chat or discussion would not flourish because communication inside philosophy is essential! So, what can I do? Perhaps practising is the best tool to manage this, but you may have other tips and tricks. ---
**Author:** ![Johnnywas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@Johnnywas](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Johnnywas)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 12:47pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/2 "2026-10-18T12:47:05Z")
Thanks Iavi for your post on how to improve clarity. I will give the subject some thought. I have had a look at a couple of your posts. The posts are not particularly difficult to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/3 "2026-10-18T13:56:30Z")
Thanks for your feedback, Johnnywas. It is a relief! ---
**Author:** ![Elephant](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/elephant/32/294_2.png) [@Elephant](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Elephant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/4 "2026-10-18T20:30:20Z")
> [@Javi](#): > > I was checking my activity on Quillbot. For those who do not know about it, Quillbot is an AI assistant for correcting English grammar. If you are a premium member, it also helps you to put the paragraphs in “context” and improve the level of fluency. I hardly use this tool because, paradoxically, the AI gives a different result from what I had in mind. And here I am still trying to escape the blandness of my writing. There is only up to a point where the mechanics of our writing can be improved using drills. After that, our writing will plateau. Our next step is to not continue the unproductive drills. But to engage with our thoughts and the depth of our understanding of the philosophical ideas. Here is where insights will make our mediocre mechanics shine. ---
**Author:** ![Paine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@Paine](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Paine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/5 "2026-10-18T23:35:46Z")
Maybe you could say what you have to say in Spanish and try to translate it. Then your attempt at translation is separated from the thought. That is the condition other attempts at translation endure. ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/6 "2026-10-19T03:58:09Z")
> [@Elephant](#): > > But to engage with our thoughts and the depth of our understanding of the philosophical ideas. Here is where insights will make our mediocre mechanics shine. I agree. Understanding philosophical ideas is key to improve the writing. When we win knowledge, our clarity and confidence improve. > [@Paine](#): > > Maybe you could say what you have to say in Spanish and try to translate it. I already do that. 🙂 However, it does not always help. As you observed: > That is the condition other attempts at translation endure. * * * It is better to think and write in English directly. I learned this lesson in the short story activity. Back in the day, I used to write my short story in Spanish and then translate it into English. The result was not what I expected. Then, I tried doing my best writing directly in English. The result was satisfactory, and I got better feedback from the readers. ---
**Author:** ![Baden](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/baden/32/109_2.png) [@Baden](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Baden)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:38am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/7 "2026-10-19T04:38:58Z")
You would have to test this against a control. It could be that clarity is just more difficult to achieve in philosophical writing. It could also be that the we trade clarity for sophistication, such that the deciding factor is the sophistication of the reader. It could also be that quillbot is unreliable. I don’t know, but some of my work has been both designated unclear and clear depending on the reader. I suppose the difference is that I am, being a native speaker, in a better position to judge the quality of my writing than you, seeing as you consider your grammar skills to be lacking somehow. This is a roundablut way of saying that what you probaly need to be able to discern the quality of your philosophical writing is feedback from sophiticated readers knowledgable on the topic you write about, rather than an AI assistant. And you have such readers in abundance here. You could, for example, use this thread to try out some attempts to explain stuff and ask us what our interpretation is to test clarity. You could, in the background, compare this to what quillbot says. That way you get your control. If quillbot proves consonant with the reactions here, you would be more justified in using it. ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 6:16am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/8 "2026-10-19T06:16:51Z")
A very thoughtful response, Baden. I feel confident sharing my musings here. Also, I’m not new; you all already know me—there is a broad grade of confidence between us. Furthermore, when I joined TPF more than five years ago, the guidelines clearly stated that the site was in English, and I accepted them with the fallout. Frankly, there is a distance between being clear and having philosophical knowledge. There are persons who are skilled in philosophy, but their written thoughts are not very understood to the public in general. Perhaps because they are not clear or the public didn’t reach their level. It is obvious that I’m not a scholar in philosophy, but I show interest. However, sometimes this is not enough. I can do my best to share my enthusiasm, but if the message is not very clear, it will begin to lose worth to the receiver. I think it is a wonderful idea to attempt to test my clarity in this thread. Only when you are not busy, you could read the following brief text and tell me what you think: _Time is a construct._ _While now I’m ready for bed, it’s nearly dawning in Australia._ _I go in a hurry to Australia because there is the possibility of sleeping a bit, and then when I wake up ten minutes later, I return (also in a hurry) to my bed so I can say that there are two versions of myself who slept in two different time zones._ _But what if I was the same person during the whole experiment and nothing has changed because time is a construct based on human scheduling?_ * * * That is what came to mind, a few nights ago, before I fell asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpion](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/scorpion/32/875_2.png) [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/9 "2026-10-19T08:10:31Z")
Most of the discussions on TPF are informal. This way of doing philosophy is characterized by nuance-discrimination and the Jesus here is clarity. It’s accepted by professional philosophers as it feels natural. You can do informal philosophy even after a few draughts of rum or a whatever’s your poison, with the homeless man under the bridge or with your coffee machine. 🥲 ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 8:58am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/10 "2026-10-19T08:58:08Z")
> [@Scorpion](#): > > You can do informal philosophy even after a few draughts of rum or a whatever’s your poison, with the homeless man under the bridge or with your coffee machine. I did informal philosophy with my coffee mate on more than one occasion. 😏 But those times were different. He and I share the same language, and we both have the basic culture needed. The issue is when you want to be clear in another language in something where communication is essential, as is philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![Astorre](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/astorre/32/545_2.png) [@Astorre](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Astorre)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/11 "2026-10-19T11:04:37Z")
I’ve given up trying to post on this forum without using a translator. To be honest, I’m not even entirely sure I have a great command of my own native language, so that’s what I’m focusing on first. On the other hand—even though I consider myself a “techno-pessimist”—I do hope that in a few years, knowing foreign languages ​​won’t be necessary at all. We’ll have devices that can translate in real time. As for learning a language for the sake of its beauty or to read original works—that’s not for me; it doesn’t come easily, and the effort required is just too high. Besides, in my personal view, English is primarily a precise tool for exchanging ideas. I don’t find it particularly beautiful in terms of sound—unlike, say, French—nor does it feature the kind of intricate expression found in Turkic languages, where meaning is built through complex systems of suffixes and auxiliary verbs (a European would really have to struggle to master those). Please forgive my bluntness. And anyway, if the legend is to be believed, God didn’t give us different languages ​​for no reason—otherwise, we might just finish building that Tower of Babel! =) ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/12 "2026-10-19T12:48:35Z")
Thanks for sharing your ideas and personal experience, Astorre. You are very proficient in philosophy. I remember reading posts from you and exchanges we had months ago. I understood everything you said, and your writing was very clear. Never underestimate the power of learning a new language! It is beautiful. If I am not mistaken, your native language uses the Cyrillic alphabet. I wish I could understand and use such a beautiful set of letters. However, and perhaps technology would help people like me, I’m dyslexic, and dyslexia is a bloody nuisance when it comes to learning foreign languages! I guess those tools will help us; they already do (in part). How did I learn English then? Like many people have done it: practising since we were children. It is the predominant language of the modern world. If I didn’t know English, I would surely have missed out a lot of interesting things. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpion](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/scorpion/32/875_2.png) [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/13 "2026-10-20T02:58:15Z")
(post deleted by author) ---
**Author:** ![Friend0fDiotima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/46a35a/32.png) [@Friend0fDiotima](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Friend0fDiotima)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 6:21am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/14 "2026-10-20T06:21:07Z")
If my art is not as good as I would like and if my mistakes make me uneasy. I shall open a bottle of champagne and Celebrate! Because my minds eye see something better than my ability. Winston Churchill He picked up the brush later in life as a way to find solace and manage stress. This particular sentiment captures the essence of what modern creatives call the “taste gap”—the frustrating phase where an artist’s vision and taste outpace their actual technical skills. Rather than letting that disparity discourage him. I am not advocating anyone to drinking alcohol. I am advocating that one celebrates their abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Baden](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/baden/32/109_2.png) [@Baden](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Baden)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/15 "2026-10-20T13:29:23Z")
> [@Javi](#): > > _Time is a construct._ > > _While now I’m ready for bed, it’s nearly dawning in Australia._ > > _I go in a hurry to Australia because there is the possibility of sleeping a bit, and then when I wake up ten minutes later, I return (also in a hurry) to my bed so I can say that there are two versions of myself who slept in two different time zones._ > > _But what if I was the same person during the whole experiment and nothing has changed because time is a construct based on human scheduling?_ OK, I’ll take a stab at this with the caveat that I am not holding back in what I see needs work because you asked and I want to be helpful 🫡 So, while I kind of get it, this indeed lacks coherence for me. This is because a) There is not enough information b) The information does not make logical sense on its own terms and c) More precise transation is necessary. FIrstly (mapping examples to each category above), if this is a thought experiment where everything is possible, first try introducing it with “Consider the following thought experiment”. Then situate the subject / protagonist of the experimental narrative in time and space such as that is relevant. (You didn’t specify where you are exactly, for example, only where you were going). Secondly, if it’s dawning in Australia, is that not closer to when you have to rise? Why is there the possibility of sleeping _more_ when it is nearly dawn as opposed to when it is bedtime? Also, why were there two “versions” of you rather than one version in different places? (You were not, it seems to me at least, in different places at the same time). Finally, when you say I go “in a hurry” to Australia because there is the possibillity of sleeping a bit, what you seem to mean is “I teleport instantaneously”. If that is the case, you ought say that, even if it is something we can later infer. That is to say, the three areas I’ve identified within which there is room to improvement are: a) Comprehensiveness (maximise the (relevant) content) b) Logical cohesion / consistency (maximise accuracy of form) c) Lexical accuracy (maximise accuracy of content) This is not some special system I’ve dug up by the way, just what I see as a reasonable approach to coherence, given it involves the organisation of form and content to effectively communicate information. My recommendation to you in summary is: 1. Include all relevant information 2. Check the logic rigorously 3. Check the vocab rigorously Naturally, being a non-native speaker, this requires more work and I know you don’t want to just offload that to AI. But AI can scaffold your progress if you specify, for example, that you would like it to check (not rewrite) a given philosophical post for each of those criteria separately. If one area is lacking, try it again and feed it back into the AI to see if you have improved. This is perfectly in line with our guidelines as the product is still your writing and AI is acting like a guide rather than a replacement. Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![Javi](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/javi/32/933_2.png) [@Javi](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Javi)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/how-can-i-improve-clarity-in-philosophical-posts/3646/16 "2026-10-20T15:05:53Z")
> [@Baden](#): > > Hope that helps! It helps a lot, Baden. 🙂 Next time, I will try doing philosophy with your tips and tricks. Thank you very much for taking your time to read it and provide feedback.