The winners of the 2022 North-West University (NWU) School of Philosophy Essay competition were recently announced.

They are:

1. Mkhize Talent Faith - essay: The effects of technology on the environment: A case of environmental degradation.

2. Melisa Siziba - essay: How madness is socially constructed.

3. Aviwe Puluma - essay: The invention and artificial intelligence of technology and its impact on the environment.

4. Gomolemo Sejake - essay: How the philosophies of Fanon and Biko have broadened and changed the understanding of humans and humanity since Western rule.

5. Lindokuhle Madondo - essay: Metaphysical beliefs on mental illness and the fundamentality of conforming to cultural knowledge.

This annual competition is open to undergraduates and postgraduates in the School of Philosophy and students enrolled in the “Understanding the World” module.

According to Gisela Diedericks from the School of Philosophy, the aims of this competition are twofold – firstly to widen interest and continued study in philosophy, and secondly, to recognise talented young scholars in the school.

“This year the topics included Fanon and Biko’s contribution to our understanding of the human and humanity, technology and the environment, aesthetics and ethics of norms and beauty, and finally the social construction of 'madness',” explains Gisela.