Philosophy Resources
Guide
Students of
philosophy sometimes need intellectual resources beyond textbooks and classroom
discussion in order to understand ideas, the thought of individual philosophers,
or areas of philosophical interest. The following guide points to some of
the basic resources for doing research in the field of philosophy, both
in the CSC Library and on the World Wide Web. Please ask a Reference Librarian
for assistance if you need help with any of the resources given here or
do not find what you need. Good searching!
- Contents:
- Journal Articles
- World Wide Web Resources
- Reference Books:
- Encyclopedias
| Dictionaries and Companions | Bibliographies
Journal Articles
See our Philosophy
Databases page.
Some of the databases allow access to full text articles, while others provide indexes to articles.
World Wide Web Resources
Links to some of the best philosophy
web sites
University of Liverpool's
e-journal page:
Contains links to many electronic free access full text philosophy journals unavailable in print format.
Dictionary
of Philosophical Terms and Names:
Clear and concise definitions of of a variety of philosophical terms. Brief biographies of notable
philosophers.
EpistemeLinks:
Commercial site. Links by time period, philosopher or topic area. Choosing one leads
to a page of web links and related resources.
Johns
Hopkins Philosophy Page:
Scroll past Johns Hopkins Philosophy Department information to LINKS
section where you will find pathways to a search engine, electronic resources,
and organizations.
Philosophy
Related Resources on the Web:
Links to mostly discussion groups and listservs
Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy :
Basic information written at a layperson's level
Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy:
Over 1000 professional philosophers donate their time and labor to write and maintain this work.
U
of Fla. Philosophy Collections Page:
Links to major philosophy sites
Department of Philosophy:
Useful Web Links:
Bristol University's overview
of resources available on the web.
Yahoo's
List of Philosophy Links : Yahoo's hierarchical list of web sites.
Google Directory of Philosopy:
Google's list of philosophy web sites.
Philosophy Around the Web:
A site created by a lecturer at Oxford University, the heart of which is a set of links organized into fourteen main categories.
The Catholic Encyclopedia:
The Catholic view of philosophy, with internal links to pages of philosopers, time periods and schools
of philosophy.
Links to Philosopy on the Web:
Links to philosopy websites created by a professor emeritus of Philosophy of the Mind and Logic at University College London.
Reference
Books
Reference books are
useful for overviews, brief biographies of philosophers, or for bibliographies
of materials on philosophical topics.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Routledge Encyclopedia
of Philosophy 10 vols. Routledge, 1998
Monumental work of scholarship by some of the brightest names in philosophy.
The newest and most comprehensive philosophical encyclopedia. Contains
article entries for many topics not in the Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Good for overviews on most topics. Ref. B51 .R68 1998
Encyclopedia of Philosophy 8 vols. (and a later supplement) Macmillan,
1967, plus 1996 suppt.
Solid and scholarly articles on philosophical topics and philosophers.
The primary reference encyclopedia until Routledge (see above) appeared.
Some of the articles are now dated, though much is useful. The supplement
reflects changes in scholarship and new topics in the areas of technology
and ethics. Ref. B41 .E5
Encyclopedia of Classical
Philosophy Greenwood, 1997.
An encyclopedia that focuses on classical philosophy. In some cases,
the entries are lengthier than in either of the general philosophy encyclopedias.
Covers both concepts and philosophers. Includes information on minor philosophers
from the period. Ref. B113 .E53 1997
Encyclopedia of
Asian Philosophy Routledge, 2001. Excellent resource on
Asian philosophers and thought. Ref. B121 .E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Ethics
2 vols. Garland, 1992.
Covers philosophical ethics as it is practiced among English-speaking
academics, but also includes topics from other philosophical traditions,
applied ethics, and even a history of ethics. A good place to find
a basic summary of an ethical theory or applied practice. Good coverage
of the vocabulary used by ethicists. Ref. BJ63 .E45 1992
Encyclopedia of Applied
Ethics 4 vols. Academic Press, 1998.
Long articles on key ethical issues as they are applied to the contemporary
world. Everything from abortions to zoos. Contains bibliographies
and overviews of the opposing arguments surrounding each issue.
Highly useful for beginning ethical inquiries into current hot topics.
Ref. BJ63 .A66 1998
Ethics, Revised Edition 3 vols. Salem Press, 2005
Provides entry points for those concerned with ethical dilemmas, with applied ethics more emphasized than theoretical.
Each entry begins with a definition, the type of ethics it is most closely related to and a statement of its
importance. While articles related to Western Culture dominate, it includes items on Asian and Islamic cultures as well.
Topics include people, events, organizations, issues and trends. Entries end with a list of further resources.
Ref. BJ63 .E54 2005
Encyclopedia of Bioethics 5 vols. Macmillan, 1995
Long articles on bioethical issues of a medical, environmental, psychological,
sociological and/or biological nature. Provides balanced approach.
Highly thought of and well respected authors and editors. Well-documented
with useful bibliographies. Ref. QH332 .E52 1995
Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
4 vols. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Long articles on the theories and theorists of art, culture, and nature,
and how they relate to philosophy. Useful and energetic.
Ref. BH56 .E53 1998
DICTIONARIES
AND COMPANIONS
Cambridge Dictionary of
Philosophy (2nd ed.) Cambridge, 1999
The standard philosophy dictionary for our time. Wide-ranging and lucid.
Ref. B41 .C35 1999
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
Oxford, 1994
Dictionary-sized entries on a plethora of philosophical topics and names.
Bare bones, but useful for a concept mentioned in passing in your reading,
where you want a quick explanation, but not a lengthy overview.
Ref. B41 .53 1994
(Online version available at Oxford Reference Online)
Oxford Companion to Philosophy
Oxford, 1995
Lively, comprehensive companion to philosophy. Entries on philosophers,
schools of thought, subjects, theories, debates, concepts, and practical
issues. Covers worldwide and all time periods. Entries longer than
dictionary but shorter than encyclopedias in section above. Ref. B51
.O94A
(Online version available at Oxford Reference Online)
Companion to Metaphysics Blackwell,
1995
Focuses on metaphysics. Ranges from short entries on common terms, to
extensive entries on more complicated terms, important movements
and thinkers who have impacted metaphysics. Outstanding contributors.
Bibliographies at end of major articles. Ref. BD111 .C626 1995
Women Philosophers: a Bio-critical Source Book Greenwood,
1989
Biographical sketches of women philosophers from ancient times to today.
Each philosopher's entry includes a bibliography of works by and about them.
The Introduction supplies a historical overview of the history of women
philosophers. Ref. B105 .W6 K47 1989
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Philosophy: a Guide to
the Reference Literature 2d. ed. Libraries Unlimited, 1997
Mostly a bibliography of more specialized bibliographies on various philosophical
movements, philosophers, etc. A good place to begin for any extensive
research project on a major philosophical issue or philosopher. Quite
up to date.
Ref. B72 .B97 1997
Collaborative Bibliography
of Women in Philosophy Philosophy Documentation Center, 1997.
An extensive bibliography of almost everything written by women philosophers
in English through the early 1990s.
Ref. B105 .W6 C65 1997
Women Philosophers: A
Bibliography of Books through 1990 Philosophy Documentation Center,
1990
A checklist of books by women philosophers, which is arranged by
topic rather than alphabetically. Good if you want to see what women have
written on a particular topic. Ref. B105 .W6 B37 1992
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