| By: |
Daniel F. Ring Assistant Professor |
Phone: (248)
370-2498 E-mail: ring@oakland.edu |
See also: Religion
COMPANIONS
A COMPANION allows one to explore a topic, either a person or an idea, in greater depth, very much like an essay. We have several companions published by Blackwell and they share the same format. Each entry has a short bibliography and there are cross references. The companions include:
A Companion to Epistemology (Ref. BD 161 .C 637 1992);
A Companion to Metaphysics (Ref. BD 111 .C 626 1995);
A Companion to the Philosophy of Mind (Ref. BD 418.3 .C62 1994);
A Companion to the Philosophers (Ref. B 72 .C 595 1999)--world scope;
A Companion to Continental Philosophy (Ref. B 803 .C 66 1998)--the essays in this book are long, up to 15 pages;
The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy (Ref. B 21 .B56 1996). This book is organized both by persons and by aspects of philosophy, such as ethics and logic.
There is also The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (Ref. B 51 .O94 1995). This book's entries vary from a hundred words or so on a concept, such as Russell's Paradox, to longer essays on persons, albeit mostly English and American.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
There are two general encyclopedias on philosophy: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Ref. B 51.R68 1998). This ten-volume set is the best because of its coverage. The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Ref. B41 .E5 1972) is eight volumes in four physical volumes. It consists of 1500 articles of up to 5000 words. Both titles are authoritative. We also have an Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy (Ref. B 163 .E53 1998). As its title suggests its scope is Greek and Roman antiquity. Contains 270 articles, many of them thematic. Augustine Through the Ages (Ref. B 655 .Z69 A 84 1999) contains scholarly and authoritative articles on the life, thought and influence of St. Augustine. The Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy (Ref. B 126 .E496 2003) contains 187 articles from international scholars. Each essay is comprehensive, scholarly and contains a bibliography. The Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Ref. B 121 .E53 2001) has a thematic index in the front, i.e., Islam, China, Korea,etc., with all topics listed. Most entries do not exceed 1-2 pages. The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy's (Ref. B 803 .E35 1999) scope includes phenomenology, the Frankfurt School, Structuralism and several other schools. There are two "enlightenment" era texts: Encyclopedia of the Enlightment (Ref. B 802 .E53 2003) is a four-volume set that has about 700 entries, usually long and comprehensive. Do not confuse this title with the single volume Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment (Ref. B 802 .W48 1996), which is not in the same league as the multi-volume set. Entries are brief with no bibliographies.
Online encyclopedias include: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; and The Meta-Encyclopedia of Philosophy (links to several sources).
DICTIONARIES
We have several dictionaries ranging from the general to the esoteric. Among the former we may include Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology (Ref. B 41 .B3 1998; two volumes). This is a reprint of the four-volume 1901 edition. It is a classic; among its attributes is that one will find no entries for Behaviorism. Other titles include The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (Ref. B 41 .C35 1999); Dictionary of Philosophy (Ref. B 41 .D 53 1983b); A Dictionary of Philosophy (Ref. B 41 .M38 1996); and A Dictionary of Philosophy (Ref. B 41 .L32 1976).
Esoteric dictionaries listed below focus on an arcane aspect, such as yoga:
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Yoga (Ref. B 132 .Y6 F46 1990)
Dictionary of Existentialism (Ref. B . D 455 1999)
Dictionary of Paradox (Ref. BC .P2 E75 1998)
The Routledge Critical Dictionary of Postmodern Thought (Ref. B 831.2 .R 68 1999);
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskit Terms Defined in English (Ref. B 131 .G67 1996);
Thinking from A-Z (Ref. BC 177 .W345 2000). N.B., emphasis is on logic
Key Ideas in Human Thought (Ref. B 41 .K48 1993) N.B., not strictly philosophy
Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion: Eastern and Western Thought (Ref. B 41 .R 43 1996)
A Dictionary of Philosophical Quotations (Ref. B 21 .D54 1994).
The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy. (Ref. B 41 .B79 2004)
There are several online dictionaries including:
Mostly Modern Philosophical Glossary;
Dictionaries And Encyclopedias (scroll down to General Works or Specific Subjects)
A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names
Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind
PHILOSOPHER SPECIFIC DICTIONARIES
All of the following titles share a common publisher and thus share a common format. Each entry is devoted to a specific concept, say Hegel's Absolute, and this concept is then defined in one to three pages. The titles include:
A Hegel Dictionary (Ref. B 2901 .I58 1992)
A Hobbes Dictionary (Ref. B 1246 .M37 1995)
A Kant Dictionary (Ref. B 2751 .C38 1995)
A Locke Dictionary (Ref. B 1297 .Y 64 1993)
A Descartes Dictionary (Ref. B 1831 .C67 1993)
A Rousseau Dictionary (Ref. B 2131 .D46 1992)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Great Thinkers of the Western World (Ref. B 72 .G74 1992) has good scope, ancient Greece to the present, but all the essays are written by one person. Good for the undergraduate. The editor also did a similar book, Great Thinkers of the Eastern World (Ref. B 5005 .G74 1995). Fifty Key Contemporary Thinkers (Ref. B .L37 1994)--the essays in this book are documented and include suggestions for further reading. Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth Century Philosophers (Ref. B 804 .B52 1996). As the title suggests, the entries are in a dictionary format with 250-1250 words each, written by scholars. Good authority with listings of biographees' principal works. We have three books in the Dictionary of Literary Biography series: Medieval Philosophers (Ref. B 721 .M 45 1992); British Philosophers,1500-1799 (Ref. B 1111.B75 2002); and British Philosophers, 1800-2000 (Ref. B 72 .B693 2002). These are outstanding sources. Essays are fifteen pages or more and treat the subject in a critical manner. Good suggestions for further research, including location of papers. Following the same format are American Philosophers Before 1950 (Ref. B 851 .A43 2003) and American Philosophers, 1950-2000 (Ref. B 935 .A45 2003). The Blackwell Guide to the Modern Philosophers: From Descartes to Nietzsche (B 791 .B53 2001--3rd floor) contains long essays on eighteen philosophers; the "usual suspects," such as Hobbes, Marx, etc. Women Philosophers (Ref. B 105 .W6 K47 1989). No specific time period. Entries can be several pages or a mere blurb. Philosophy, 100 Essential Thinkers (Ref. BD 21 .S76 2003) provides page length essays on guess how many philosophers from ancient times to the present. Similar are One Hundred Philosophers (Ref. B 104 .K56 2004) and Great Thinkers, A-Z (Ref. B 21 .G74 2004.
Online, The Window: Philosophers gives thumbnail sketches of (mostly) western philosophers. Links to other sources. Better is Philosophers & Works. Epistemelinks' Philosophers is good, too, as it connects you to many web sites for a philosopher.
ELECTRONIC TEXTS
EServer Links to canonical texts.
Electronic Texts and Resources
Leaves: Primary Source Philosophy Texts on the World Wide Web
PAPERS
People with Online Papers in Philosophy
PhilSci Archives - This is an electronic archive for pre-prints in the philosophy of science.
ONLINE JOURNALS
PERIODICAL INDEXES
Philosophers Index. (Ref. B 1 .A1 P55). We have volume 1 through current. Now online.
Humanities Abstracts. Covers 1984- current. Supersedes Humanities Index and Social Science and Humanities Index which are in print. Ask at the Reference Desk.
Project Muse. Indexes 150 full text journals in the humanities. Click on :search" and use the"advanced" format.
JSTOR. Includes back issues of a number of philosophy journals. Click on "search" and use the "advanced" format
WRITING A PHILOSOPHY PAPER
A Brief Guide to Writing Philosophy Papers. How to pick a topic, document, and what to avoid.
How to Write a Philosophy Paper. This site is one professor's directions to his students.
Evaluating Internet Research Sites. This site is a must read for all those who think anything can be found on the Internet.
Aids to Writing Philosophy Papers
INTERNET SITES
Gateways or Meta Sites
Voice of the Shuttle: Philosophy
WWW Virtual Library: Philosophy
Yahoo's Philosophy. This site is good for subsets of philosophy such as empiricism or logic.
EpistemeLinks. The best two links here are Philosophers and Topics.
Social Science Information Gateway: Philosophy
RESOURCES
Erratic Impact's Philosophy Research Base. Has a search engine plus subjects.
Internet Resources for Philosophy. Arranged by topic and period.
Philosophy: A Brief Guide to Internet Resources
Contemporary Philosophy, Critical Theory and Postmodern Thought. Excellent source for philosophers.
A-Z: The Philosophy of (Almost) Everything. Good for unusual philosophy links.
The Ten Big Questions. Coverage:
Big Bang Theory — how and why did the universe begin?
Time Travel — is time travel physically or logically possible?
Meaning of Life — what's the point of living? why are we here?
Creation vs. Evolution — are we descended from apes?
Artificial Intelligence — could a computer have a mind?
Life After Death — what is death and why should we fear it?
Extraterrestrial Life — are we alone in the universe?
Cultural Relativism — are moral values relative or absolute?
Ethical Dilemmas — how do we decide between right and wrong?
Social Justice — should the rich help the poor?Internet Public Library: Philosophy
OU Philosophy Departments Links. This an assortment of links, some of which are covered in this pathfinder. Nonetheless, check it out.
Ethics Updates. Covers two main areas: ethical theory and applied ethics. Also a section on resources.
Philosophy Pages. Emphasis on western philosophy. Covers four main areas: a dictionary; history of western philosophy; major figures in philosophy and logic.
PhilWeb Has a search engine and covers these topics:
Aesthetics
Culture
Epistemology
Ethics
History
Interdisciplinary
Language
Logic
Metaphilosophy
Metaphysics
Mind
Race
Religion
Science
Self
Sexuality
Social and Political
WHAT CAN I DO WITH A DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY AND KINDRED SITES
Why Study Philosophy?
Why Study Philosophy?
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