Essays Rewrite Journey: Accidental Deployment to Integrity

TL;DR

On November 11, 2025, I accidentally deployed AI-generated placeholder content for two essays (psychology and philosophy) to production. Instead of applying quick fixes, I spent 10 days reading original research papers, verifying every citation, and rewriting both essays from scratch.

Part 1: How It Happened

I was building the routing system for AdjectivesToDescribeAPerson.com using Next.js. To test the routes, I needed placeholder content for two planned essays:

1. Psychology of Adjectives: How language shapes self-perception
2. Beyond Personality Types: Exploring adjectives as a deeper layer of self-expression

To save development time, I used AI to generate placeholders. The plan: set up routes now, write real content later.

But on November 11, 2025, during a code deployment, these placeholders went live unexpectedly.

When I discovered this production mistake, it was already live.

Part 2: The Choice

I faced three options:

Option 1: Delete both essays immediately
Pro: Clean slate
Con: Users might have already seen them; looks like hiding mistakes

Option 2: Quick patches
Pro: Fix obvious errors in a few hours
Con: Still fundamentally AI-generated; lacks depth

Option 3: Complete rewrite of both essays
Pro: Do it right, with verified sources
Con: Would take at least 10 days

As a software engineer who’s devoted to philosophy, and someone who values precision in both code and thought, I knew what mattered: integrity over speed.

I chose Option 3.

Part 3: The 10-Day Process

Phase 1: Reading the Original Research (Days 1-4)

For the psychology essay:

• Baddeley’s 1992 paper on Working memory
• McAdams’ work on narrative identity (2001)
• Boroditsky’s research on language shaping thought (2011)
• Thorndike’s halo effect studies
• And other foundational psychology research on language, cognition, and self-understanding

For the philosophy essay:

1. Sartre’s existentialism: existence precedes essence (You create yourself through action).
2. Wittgenstein’s language philosophy: meaning emerges from use within shared “forms of life,” not from hidden essences waiting to be discovered.

I took notes. I highlighted. I made sure I understood what these thinkers actually said — not what an AI summarized.

Phase 2: Verifying Every Citation (Days 5-7)

For each claim in both essays, I checked:

• Is this what the original source actually said?
• Do I have the correct year, author, and publication details?
• Can I provide a DOI link for verification?

I removed citations that were inaccurately represented or didn’t properly support the claims I was making.

Phase 3: Complete Rewrite (Days 8-10)

With verified sources, I rewrote both essays from scratch: ✅ Psychology essay: Completely rewritten with verified citations ✅ Philosophy essay: Completely rewritten with verified citations

Every sentence now grounded in sources I personally read and understood.

Part 4: What Changed

Psychology Essay 2.0

✅ All citations verified with DOI links
✅ Added nuance to claims about the language-thought relationship
✅ Reorganized for clearer logical progression
✅ Added “About This Article” section explaining methodology

Philosophy Essay 2.0

✅ All philosophical references verified against primary sources
✅ Explained why fixed personality type categorization inevitably oversimplifies human complexity
✅ Explored how adjectives enable nuanced self-expression in ways that categories cannot
✅ Added transparent methodology note

Part 5: What I Learned

Lesson 1: AI is a useful tool, not a substitute for primary research

AI helped generate placeholder structure and suggested relevant researchers. But verifying claims required reading original papers directly and forming my own interpretations.

Lesson 2: Development shortcuts shouldn’t become production content

Placeholder content is acceptable during the development phase. But production demands verified, thoughtful work—especially for academic or philosophical content.

Lesson 3: Transparency builds more trust than perfection

By writing this update, I’m admitting a mistake that affected readers. But I believe demonstrating how I fixed it—and why I chose the harder path—matters more than pretending the error never occurred.

Try the Updated Essays

Psychology essay: The Psychology of Adjectives and Self-Discovery
Philosophy essay: Adjectives to Describe a Person: Beyond Personality Types

All citations include DOI links. If you identify any issues or have feedback, please contact me.

Published: 2025-11-21