How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for Philosophy

In philosophy, the choice between active and passive voice determines the clarity of logical attribution and agency. Because philosophical discourse relies on identifying who holds a specific view or who is performing a logical operation, mastering this distinction is essential for rigorous argumentation.

What Is an Active Vs Passive Voice in Philosophy?

Active voice places the subject as the performer of the action (e.g., 'Kant argues'), whereas passive voice makes the subject the recipient (e.g., 'It is argued by Kant'). In philosophy, active voice is preferred for attributing specific theses to authors, while passive voice is occasionally used to describe objective logical consequences or widely accepted premises where the 'actor' is the logic itself.

Before You Start

• Identify the primary interlocutors in your essay (e.g., Hume, Anscombe, or Rawls) to ensure they are the subjects of your active sentences.
• Clarify your own stance versus the views you are critiquing to avoid 'we' or 'one' ambiguity.
• Check your department's style guide; most modern philosophy journals like 'Mind' or 'Ethics' prefer the first-person active voice for clarity of thesis ownership.
• Map out the logical transitions of your argument to see where 'logic' should be the driver versus a specific philosopher.

Attribute Arguments Directly to the Philosopher

Instead of describing a theory as a static entity, treat the philosopher as an agent making a claim. This prevents your paper from sounding like a list of facts rather than a dynamic debate.

Example: Active: 'Mill asserts that pleasure varies in quality, not just quantity.' vs. Passive: 'It is asserted by Mill that pleasure varies in quality.'

Tip: Use strong verbs like 'contends,' 'posits,' 'claims,' or 'demurs' to vary your active voice attributions.

Use Active Voice for Your Own Thesis Statement

Your contribution to the debate must be clear. Using the passive voice in your thesis can make your position seem tentative or non-existent.

Example: Active: 'I shall argue that the Categorical Imperative fails to provide a practical decision procedure.' vs. Passive: 'It will be argued that the Categorical Imperative is insufficient.'

Tip: Do not fear the first-person 'I' in philosophy; it is the standard way to take responsibility for an original argument.

Reserve Passive Voice for Logical Necessities

When a conclusion follows inevitably from premises regardless of who is observing it, the passive voice can emphasize the objectivity of the logic.

Example: Passive: 'If the premises are true, the conclusion is necessarily entailed.'

Tip: Only use passive voice when the 'actor' (the person thinking) is irrelevant to the truth-value of the statement.

Replace 'There is' Constructions with Active Verbs

Philosophy students often use 'There is' to describe concepts, which weakens the prose. Find the concept and make it the subject.

Example: Active: 'A fundamental contradiction exists between Sartre’s radical freedom and his notion of facticity.' vs. Passive/Weak: 'There is a contradiction between...'

Tip: Look for sentences starting with 'There are' or 'It is' and try to relocate the noun to the start.

Clarify Agency in Thought Experiments

When describing scenarios like the Trolley Problem or the Experience Machine, use active voice so the reader knows who is making the choice.

Example: Active: 'The agent pulls the lever to save the five workers.' vs. Passive: 'The lever is pulled by the agent.'

Tip: Active voice makes the moral stakes of a thought experiment more immediate and understandable.

Deconstruct Passive Objections

If you are presenting an objection to your view, name the objector or the school of thought in the active voice to make the intellectual conflict sharper.

Example: Active: 'The Virtue Ethicist might object that my account ignores character development.' vs. Passive: 'It might be objected that character is ignored.'

Tip: Attributing objections to specific 'types' of thinkers helps categorize the debate for your reader.

Audit Your 'Which' and 'That' Clauses

Often, passive voice hides in subordinate clauses. Convert these to active descriptions of how a concept functions.

Example: Active: 'The theory that simplifies the most data wins.' vs. Passive: 'The theory by which data is simplified is the one that is preferred.'

Tip: Shorter sentences in philosophy are usually a sign of more precise active-voice thinking.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using 'It is believed that...' without specifying if the belief is held by the general public, a specific scholar, or the author.
• Hiding behind 'The argument is made...' to avoid defending a controversial premise yourself.
• Overusing the passive voice in the 'Methodology' or 'Roadmap' section of the introduction (e.g., 'First, the text will be analyzed').
• Confusing the 'passive voice' with 'past tense' when discussing historical figures like Plato or Spinoza.
• Using passive voice to mask a logical leap or a weak connection between two syllogistic steps.

Pro Tips

• Read your paper aloud; if you find yourself running out of breath, you likely have a 'clunky' passive construction that needs to be active.
• Check the 'Subject-Verb' distance; in philosophy, keeping the philosopher (Subject) close to their claim (Verb) prevents confusion in complex sentences.
• Use passive voice intentionally when you want to de-emphasize the author and focus on the 'state of affairs' in a metaphysical description.
• When peer-reviewing, highlight every 'by'—this preposition often signals a passive sentence that could be more direct.
• In Ethics papers, use active voice to distinguish between the 'Moral Agent' and the 'Patient'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it okay to use 'I' in a philosophy paper?

Yes, it is standard practice in contemporary philosophy to use 'I' to indicate your own original arguments and to distinguish them from the views of the authors you are discussing.

When is passive voice actually better in philosophy?

Passive voice is useful when describing established scientific facts used as premises or when the focus is entirely on the object being acted upon, such as 'The brain was stimulated' in a philosophy of mind paper.

Does active voice make my philosophy paper sound too informal?

Not at all. Active voice increases precision and clarity, which are the primary virtues of philosophical writing. Formality comes from your vocabulary and logical rigor, not from grammatical distance.

How do I change 'It is argued by Smith' to active voice?

Simply move the person to the front: 'Smith argues.' This reduces word count and makes the attribution immediate.

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