Welcome to 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology, an ever-growing set of original 1000-word essays on philosophical questions, figures, and arguments. We have nearly 150 essays and publish new ones frequently, so please check back for updates, and follow here and on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to receive email notifications of new essays.
Some of our most popular essays are in the categories of Ethics, Epistemology or Theory of Knowledge, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy of Race and Philosophy of Sex and Gender and we have many other essay categories listed below.
New to philosophy? See our essays What is Philosophy? and Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker?
Some of our most popular essays are available as audio recordings. And a teaching units page of links to sets of essays has been developed to help create course modules on common topics in courses.
If you would like to make a financial contribution to help with our minimal expenses, you may donate here. Thank you!
Select Recent Essays
G. E. M. Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” by Daniel Weltman
Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas”: Would You Walk Away? by Spencer Case
Philosophy of Law: An Overview by Mark Satta
Why be Moral? Plato’s ‘Ring of Gyges’ Thought Experiment by Spencer Case
“Can They Suffer?”: Bentham on our Obligations to Animals by Daniel Weltman
Business Ethics by Thomas Metcalf
Virtue Ethics by David Merry
Psychological Approaches to Personal Identity: Do Memories and Consciousness Make Us Who We Are? by Kristin Seemuth Whaley
Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief” by Spencer Case
Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone? by Chris Ranalli
Agnosticism about God’s Existence by Sylwia Wilczewska
Theories of Moral Considerability: Who and What Matters Morally? by Jonathan Spelman
Cultural Relativism: Do Cultural Norms Make Actions Right and Wrong? by Nathan Nobis
George Orwell’s Philosophical Views by Mark Satta
Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker? by Carolina Flores
Videogames and Philosophy by Alex Fisher
Happiness: What is it to be Happy? by Kiki Berk
African American Existentialism: DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King by Anthony Sean Neal
Conspiracy Theories by Jared Millson
What Is It To Love Someone? by Felipe Pereira
Defining Capitalism and Socialism and Arguments for Capitalism and Socialism by Thomas Metcalf
The African Ethic of Ubuntu by Thaddeus Metz
Reparations for Historic Injustice by Joseph Frigault
Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood by Jana Mohr Lone
Essay Categories
- Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
- African Philosophy
- Buddhist Philosophy
- Chinese Philosophy
- Ethics
- Epistemology, or Theory of Knowledge
- Historical Philosophy
- Islamic Philosophy
- Logic and Reasoning
- Metaphilosophy, or Philosophy of Philosophy
- Metaphysics
- Phenomenology and Existentialism
- 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
* New categories are added as the project expands.