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/

The Meaning of Life: What’s the Point?

~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 1 Comment

Author: Matthew Pianalto Categories: Ethics, Phenomenology and Existentialism, Philosophy of Religion Word Count: 1000 Editors’ note: This essay and its companion essay, Meaning in Life: What Makes Our Lives Meaningful? both explore the concept of meaning in relation to human life. This essay focuses on the meaning of life as a whole, whereas the other … Continue reading The Meaning of Life: What’s the Point?

Karl Marx’s Theory of History

"Work" by Ford Madox Brown, 1865
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 6 Comments

Author: Angus Taylor Categories: Social and Political Philosophy, Historical Philosophy Word Count: 998 Karl Marx (1818–1883) is one of history’s most influential and controversial figures. He devoted most of his time to trying to understand the inner workings of capitalist economies.[1] He was also a philosopher concerned with the alienation under capitalism of individuals from … Continue reading Karl Marx’s Theory of History

Modal Logic: Axioms and Systems for Alethic Modal Logic

An image of multiple instances of the planet Earth.
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 5 Comments

Author: Thomas Metcalf Category: Logic and Reasoning, Metaphysics Word count: 992 Philosophical arguments are usually about what’s actually the case: whether it’s actually true that God exists or whether it’s actually true that we have free will. But commonly, we also want to talk about whether something is possible or impossible, or whether it might … Continue reading Modal Logic: Axioms and Systems for Alethic Modal Logic

Classical Syllogisms

The traditional "square of opposition."
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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.
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 4 Comments

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?