Author: 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology

"1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology" is a constantly-growing collection of original essays on important philosophical topics. These essays are introductions rather than argumentative articles. Each essay is as close to 1000 words (while never going over!) as the author can get it. A 1000-word essay takes between five and ten minutes to read. That’s about the length of a bus ride or a waiting room stay or the lead-up to a class meeting. Professional philosophy can seem abstract, esoteric, and hyper-specialized. But we all ask and try to answer philosophical questions myriad times daily: philosophy is the purview not just of the expert, but of all thoughtful people. Our goal in writing and sharing these essays is to provide high-quality introductions to great philosophical questions and debates. We hope that philosophers and non-philosophers alike will benefit from perusing these essays. Our authors generally provide references or sources for more information for readers whose interest is piqued by a particular topic or debate. https://1000wordphilosophy.com/about/

Classical Syllogisms

The traditional "square of opposition."
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 1 Comment

Author: Timothy Eshing Category: Logic and Reasoning, Historical Philosophy Word Count: 999 Consider this argument: All humans are mammals. All mammals are animals. Therefore, all humans are animals. It’s an example of a classical syllogism. The logic of syllogisms, which are special kinds of deductive arguments, was famously discussed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle … Continue reading Classical Syllogisms

Philosophy of Space and Time: What is Space?

Samuel Clarke and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
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Categories: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Science, Historical Philosophy Author: Dan Peterson Word Count: 999 Imagine that every object in the universe – you, your chair, Earth, everything else – moved one meter to your left. Would you notice a difference? Facts about relative distances, like how far my chair is from me, would remain the same … Continue reading Philosophy of Space and Time: What is Space?

The Ethics of Mozi: Social Organization and Impartial Care

Mozi 墨翟
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Author: Henrique Schneider Categories: Chinese Philosophy, Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy Word count: 994 Mo Di, or Mozi[1], (墨子, c. 470 – c. 391 BCE) is the founding figure of Mohism, a philosophical, social, and self-defense movement during the Warring States era (479–221 BCE) in China. Mohism, as much of early Chinese philosophy, ties ethics … Continue reading The Ethics of Mozi: Social Organization and Impartial Care

Condorcet’s Jury Theorem and Democracy

A fresco by Cesare Maccari (1840-1919 CE) depicting Roman senator Cicero (106-43 BCE) denouncing the conspirator Catiline in the Roman senate.
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Author: Robert Weston Siscoe Category: Social and Political Philosophy Word Count: 999 Suppose that a majority of jurors decide that a defendant is guilty (or not), and we want to know the likelihood that they reached the correct verdict. The French philosopher Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794) showed that we can get a mathematically precise answer, … Continue reading Condorcet’s Jury Theorem and Democracy

What Is Misogyny?

Shepard Fairey's 2017 Triptych: "We the People: Greater Than Fear, Defend Dignity, & Protect Each Other"
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 7 Comments

Authors: Odelia Zuckerman and Clair Morrissey Categories: Philosophy of Sex and Gender, Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Race Word count: 998 The term misogyny[1] refers to systems that uphold gender-based oppression against women and girls. What those systems are, and how they operate, is a subject of philosophical debate. Here we explain two … Continue reading What Is Misogyny?

Gricean Conversational Implicature: What We Say and What We Mean

Paul Grice and the cover of his "Studies in the Way of Words."
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 1 Comment

Author: Thomas Hodgson Category: Philosophy of Mind and Language Word count: 997 Alex and Chris are making cabbage soup and realize that there isn’t any cabbage in the kitchen. Alex states ‘there is a market nearby’. Chris takes Alex to have said that there is a market nearby. Alex also meant that cabbage can be … Continue reading Gricean Conversational Implicature: What We Say and What We Mean

Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Quantificational or Predicate Logic

Rudolf Carnap’s notes on Gottlob Frege’s Begriffsschrift, the progenitor of modern quantificational logic.
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Author: Timothy Eshing Category: Logic and Reasoning Word count: 1000 Editor’s note: for many readers, this essay would be more profitably read after reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Sentential Logic by Thomas Metcalf. There are many varieties of formal logic of varying complexity. Here we survey one that’s somewhat more complex than sentential or … Continue reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Quantificational or Predicate Logic