About

This blog publishes cutting-edge philosophical articles of approximately 2,500 words or less.

The site is, in a sense, a tribute to Edmund Gettier, who proved back in 1963 with his groundbreaking two-page article, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge” (Analysis, Vol. 23, Issue 6) that a philosophical article doesn’t have to be long to be good. The term “flash philosophy” is based on the term “flash fiction” which is used to refer to very short short stories. There is growing interest in very short works of philosophy, which are sometimes also referred to as “philosophical shorts” because they are more in keeping with the digital age than traditional philosophical articles which can take many months, or even years, to write and sometimes an equally long time before they appear in print. Flash philosophy can be drafted more quickly and hence the insights it contains disseminated more quickly, enhancing the productivity of philosophical discourse, both among professional philosophers and among those outside the discipline.

The site is maintained by M.G. Piety, Professor of Philosophy at Drexel University, and publishes articles in all philosophical genres. Authors who wish to submit material for publication on the site should email their submissions, along with a short bio to mgpiety@drexel.edu.

Piety and her research assistant, Daniel Wiedinmyer, are currently putting together a collection of flash philosophy that comprises articles from both popular and traditional philosophical journals such as Mind, Analysis, and Philosophical Review. The were recently guests on The Stoa podcast where they discussed both the genre of flash philosophy and their book project in detail. The video can be viewed here.