In 1951, Margaret MacDonald, then editor of Analysis, began a series of "problems" which were to be answered in 600 words or less. Each problem was set by a well-known philosopher of the time, and the answers were evaluated by the same philosopher. /1

A report and several "winners" were printed in a subsequent issue. The sequence continued until 1958 -- MacDonald had died in 1956 and I guess that the last couple had already been commissioned before her death. It picked up again in 1976 with a few more entries until 1984. /2

But I think the first series of problems was most interesting because they were set by a real who's who of British philosophy in the 50s, and the problems seem to me to be revealing of their authors. I will post them in sequence. This thread is inspired by @SophieGraceCha1. /3

1 What sort of ‘if’ is the ‘if’ in ‘I can if I choose’? J.L. Austin, Dec. 1951

2 What is the difference between saying how you feel and showing by your words how you feel? Austin Duncan-Jones, June 1952 /4