📝philonote

Should I even call this a “manifesto”? I don’t really know. I wanted to provide a clear, but introduction to philonote.

I spend a portion of my time reading articles, books, research papers (technology, software, theology, history, philosophy)… on big platforms, and what I have noticed is this: thoughts, publications, articles, ideas online are not organized the way they should be. It feels like walking into a library where every chapter of the same book is scattered across different shelves. Same author, same project, but no clear way to read it properly. That’s the internet today. Thoughts are everywhere, but they’re rarely structured.

They should sit inside collections that grow over time, whether it’s a research topic, a theological journey, a book in progress, or simply a series of reflections that matter. Writing is work. It deserves a space that understands that.

I want reading to stay open. Anyone should be able to read without creating an account. If someone wants to participate more deeply by liking, commenting, or following, they can create an account, but nothing should block the simple act of reading. And when it comes to AI, it should assist, not replace. AI can summarize, it can translate, it can help the reader, but it should never be the one creating the original content. Human authorship is the center of this entire idea.

Discovery is also essential. Writers should never feel like they are writing into emptiness. People need to be found. Good work needs visibility. That is why the platform has two discovery paths: a Following tab for the voices you already care about, and a For You tab that helps readers explore new writers, trending discussions, and collections worth paying attention to. All of this should live inside a clean, minimalist, and warm design. Something mobile-first, beautiful, and pleasant to use. Something that makes you want to read more and write more.

This platform is for everyone who wants to share thoughtful ideas, research, commentary, or any kind of meaningful writing. It is not limited to one specific community. It is for theologians, programmers, historians, founders, philosophers, students, pastors, researchers, engineers or anyone who wants to publish something real.

Trust and authenticity matter here. This platform must (is also meant to) protect human writing. AI-generated spam or content pretending to be human will be detected and muted. Writers will have profiles that clearly show their collections and their articles.

As a big fan of Reddit’s design (comments section), I wanted to make the platform so easy to use (and interact with) that the readers can comment in a structured, collapsible, Reddit-style comment section. They can like, follow, share, and genuinely engage. And for those who need more, pro features, if any, will include things like summaries, translations, and the ability to connect a custom domain to their profile. Even free users will still be able to publish real work and grow a meaningful body of writing.

This is not Substack. It is not Medium. (Kudos for their excellent and enduring work). It is not an AI content platform. It is meant to serve as a digital village for those share their work in literature. A place to grow.

This manifesto is my compass. It keeps the vision honest. As long as the platform stays aligned with this, it will serve the purpose I created it for: to help me write, to help others write, and to create a space where human thought can live and be discovered.

Kenn,

Creator.