Welcome to 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology, an ever-growing set of 225 original 1000-word essays on philosophical questions, theories, figures, and arguments. These short essays introduce important philosophical ideas in clear and accessible ways for students, readers new to philosophy, and more experienced philosophical thinkers.
All of our essays are available in audio format; many are also available as videos.
Start with the essays below, search for a topic, or browse by category.
New to philosophy?
Start with these essays:
- What is Philosophy? by Thomas Metcalf
- Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker? by Carolina Flores
- Arguments: Why Do You Believe What You Believe? by Thomas Metcalf
- Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief” by Spencer Case
Find Essays
Browse all essays, explore our newest essays, or search the site:
Newest Essays
Here are some of our newest essays:
- Mindreading: Understanding Others’ Thoughts and Feelings by Emma Otterski
- Ethical Non-Cognitivism: Are Ethical Judgments More Like Desires Than Beliefs? by Rodrigo Valencia Pacheco
- Immigration Ethics: An Overview by Daniel Weltman
- Pragmatic Encroachment: Do Our Practical Interests Affect What We Know? by Alexandra Lloyd
- Plato’s Symposium: Philosophizing About Love by Matthew Sanderson
- Causation: What Are Causes? by Dan Peterson
- Equality: What Is It and How Is It Different from Equity? by Daniel Weltman
- Ethics and God: the Divine Command Theory and the Euthyphro Dilemma by Nathan Nobis
- Avicenna’s ‘Proof’ for the Existence of God by Farbod Akhlaghi
- Teleological Explanations: Purposes, Functions, and Goals in Biology by Michael Zerella
See more of our newest essays.
Popular Essays
Some of our most popular essays include:
- Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” by Charles Miceli and Descartes’ Meditations by Marc Bobro
- Marx’s Conception of Alienation by Dan Lowe
- John Rawls’ ‘A Theory of Justice’ by Ben Davies
- The Ethics of Abortion by Nathan Nobis
- Aristotle’s Defense of Slavery by Dan Lowe
- “God is Dead”: Nietzsche and the Death of God by Justin Remhof
- Philosophy and Its Contrast with Science: Comparing Philosophical and Scientific Understanding by Thomas Metcalf
- Happiness: What is it to be Happy? by Kiki Berk
- Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God by Liz Jackson
- The African Ethic of Ubuntu by Thaddeus Metz
Essay Categories
Browse essays by topic:
- Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
- Africana Philosophy
- Bioethics
- Buddhist Philosophy
- Chinese Philosophy
- Ethics
- Epistemology, or Theory of Knowledge
- Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Continental Philosophy
- Global Philosophy
- Historical Philosophy
- Islamic Philosophy
- Logic and Reasoning
- Metaphilosophy, or Philosophy of Philosophy
- Metaphysics
- Philosophy of Education
- Philosophy of Law
- Philosophy of Mind and Language
- Philosophy of Race
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Sex and Gender
- Social and Political Philosophy
For Students and Instructors
Students can use our student resources, including How to Read Philosophy and How to Write a Philosophical Essay. Instructors can use our teaching resources to develop courses and course modules using our essays.
Units
We also have units of essays on topics of current and everlasting interest.