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Brief Guide to Research for Philosophy: Selected Print Resources

General Works

  • Ayer, A.J., and Jane O'Grady, eds. A Dictionary of Philosophical Quotations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1992. [Ref B 21 D54 1992]

    Quotations from approximately 340 Western philosophers, as well as works of contemporary philosophers are represented in this reference. Authors are listed alphabetically with their quotations. Quotations are generally about six to ten lines. A glossary of terms is included, as is a subject index. A keyword index, however, is not.

  • Becker, Lawrence C. and Charlotte B. Becker, eds. Encylopedia of Ethics. New York: Garland, 2001. [Ref BJ 63 E45 2001 v.1-3]

    This reference contains approximately 435 articles, including an article on women moral philosophers. Major historical periods are treated in twelve essays under the heading, "History of Western Ethics." Most articles pertain to Western philosophical thought; however, other areas are also included. Bibliographies are included with the articles.

  • Bynagle, Hans E. Philosophy: A Guide to the Reference Literature. 2nd ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1997.[Ref B 72 Z999 B96 2006]

    This reference provides listings and annotations for resources in the field of philosophy. Chapters on core journals and professional associations are included, as well as on specialized branches in the discipline. Electronic sources are also discussed.

  • Fu, Charles Wei-hsun, and Wing-tsit Chan. Guide to Chinese Philosophy. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1978. [ B 126 Z999 F8X]

    One of the sections of this reference, titled "History of Chinese Philosophy," includes information about movements and schools in Chinese philosophy. Other sections deal with subjects such as epistemology, logic, ethics, etc. The Guide mostly contains English-language materials.

  • Tobey, Jeremy L. The History of Ideas: A Bibliographic Introduction. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 1975-1977. 2v. [B 72 Z999 T63X]

    Covering classical antiquity in volume 1 and medieval and early modern Europe in volume 2, this resource offers bibliographic essays concerning philosophy and the history of ideas. Topics covered include aesthetics, science, and religion. A periodical index and author-title index are also included.

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

  • Audi, Robert, ed. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. [Ref B 41 C35 1999]

    This one-volume dictionary, arranged alphabetically, includes entries on schools, thoughts, ideas, etc. Eastern and Western thought systems are examined within the approximately 4,000 entries contained in this reference.

  • Borchert, Donald M.   Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2nd ed. Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell, 2006. [Ref B 51 E53 2006]

    The 2nd edition adds significant new material while maintaining and revising important work from the 1st edition.  A comprehensive reference source for both scholars and general readers.

    Bottomore, Tom, et al. Dictionary of Marxist Thought. 2d ed. Detroit: MacMillan, 1992. [Ref HX 17 D5 1991]

    The focus of this reference is on topics and individuals related to Marxist thought; however, other philosophical interests are also included. Concepts, schools and movements, the background of Marxism, and Marxist philosophers are treated.

  • Brugger, Walter, and Kenneth Baker. Philosophical Dictionary. Spokane, Wash.: Gonzaga University Press, 1972. [B 43 B713 BldgOnly]

    Along with entries concerning philosophical concepts, including schools and movements, this reference contains approximately 400 articles on topics such as Behaviorism, Process Philosophy, etc. Individuals are not included as entries.

  • Burkhardt, Hans, and Barry Smith, eds. Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology. Munich: Philosophia, 1990. 2 vols. [Ref BD 111 H225 1991]

    Examined in this handbook are figures, schools, periods, and concepts pertaining to metaphysics. Approxiamtely 470 articles on various topics relating to metaphysics are included. Contributors to this work are international.

  • Bynum, William F., E.J. Browne, and Roy Porter, eds. Dictionary of the History of Science. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1981. [Science Ref Q 125 D45]

    While not solely devoted to a philosophical treatment of science, this aspect of science is included along with the historical aspect of the subject. Some philosophical topics may be found under "Human Sciences," and 130 entries pertain to philosophy of science. A biographical index is included.

  • Clarke, Paul Barry, and Andrew Linzey. Dictionary of Ethics, Theology, and Society. London; New York: Routledge, 1996. [Ref BJ 63 D53 1996]

    Articles in this reference discuss concepts and their historical development as well as their contemporary significance. Entries include topics such as evil, deconstruction, free will, evolution, etc. Bibliographies accompany entries.

  • Duncan, A.S., G.R. Dunstan, and R.B. Welbourn, eds. Dictionary of Medical Ethics. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1977. [Science R 724 D53 1977]

    This resource may be helpful for background information on the field. The researcher may want to consult another source for more current information regarding medical ethics. Many of the contributors to this book are physicians. Bibliographies are included.

  • Edwards, Paul, editor-in-chief. Encyclopedia of Philosophy. New York: Macmillan & The Free Press, 1967. [B 41 E5 1967]

    Working on this project was an international editorial board of 153 scholars. Included are articles on philosophy in selected countries and sections on "Philosophical Journals" and "Philosophical Bibliographies." Topics pertaining to philosophy in different subject areas are treated as well. A 1996 supplement to the Encyclopedia, edited by Donald M. Borchert, editor-in-chief, includes additonal information regarding topics and indviduals in philosophy. Arranged alphabetically, the supplement includes subfields such as, applied ethics, continental philosophy, feminist philosophy, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and social and political philosophy. The supplement includes cross-references to the 1967 Encyclopedia, as well as its own index.

  • Goodin, Robert E., and Philip Pettit, eds. A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998. [JA 71 C565 2007]

    Three main sections makeup this reference.
    Part I -contributions of six disciplines to the field.
    Part II -articles on six ideologies regarding political philosophy.
    Part III -articles on different topics including, liberty, democracy, justice, etc.
    Articles are arranged alphabetically by title. Bibliographic references are included, as is a name/subject index.

  • Grattan-Guinness, Ivor. Companion Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the Mathematical Sciences. London: Routledge, 1993. 2 vols. [Science QA 21 C645 1994]

    176 articles are contained within the Companion Encyclopedia. Arranged into several parts, some have a higher concentration of information pertaining to the philosophy of mathematics than others.

  • Grimes, John A. A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. [B 131 G67 1996]

    This reference contains approximately 2,500 terms. Some definitions are simple, while others have more in-depth information regarding the nature of the term in relation to philosophical study. Arrangement is by the Roman alphabet. Charts are included at the end of the book.

  • Guttenplan, Samuel, ed. A Companion to the Philosophy of Mind. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994. [BD 418.3 C62 1994]

    Part I of this work contains an essay titled, "Essay on Mind," which introduces the field of study. The essay contains cross-references to articles located in part II. Part II contains alphabetically arranged articles on different topics. Reflections of philosophers on thier own ideas and points of view are included. Some bibliographies and a subject/name index are also included.

  • Honderich, Ted, ed. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. [B 51 O94 2005]

    248 scholars worked to create The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Almost 2,000 entries cover both Eastern and Western current and historical philosophic concerns including branches and schools, as well as others. A chronological table, maps, and bibliographies may also be found in this work. Available Online -- check catalog.

  • New Catholic Encyclopedia. Prepared by an Editorial Staff at the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 15 vols. [Ref BX 841 N44 2003]

    The New Catholic Encyclopedia contains articles concerning scripture, examines rites and rituals, and discusses the history of the church. Articles about religious movements and biographies of individuals are included. Entries are arranged alphabetically. Also included are maps, charts, and illustrations. Volume 15 contains an index to the Encyclopedia. Entries on philosophy in volume 11 include: "philosophy, history of," "philosophy and science," and "philosophy of nature." Cross-references are made throughout entries to philosophers and other aspects of philosophy. Philosophy in this work focuses on scholastic tradition. The Jubilee volume contains information about saints and beati.

  • Outhwaite, William, and Tom Bottomore, eds. Blackwell Dictionary of Twentith-Century Social Thought. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 2003. [Ref H 41 B53 2003]

    This work focuses on social and political philosophy, and contains topics such as: hermeneutics, Maoism, utopia, pragmatisim, etc. Entries are generally 1 to 1½ pages in length. References for further reading are included with each entry, and a general bibiliography is included at the end of the work.

  • Peters, Francis Edward. Greek Philosophical Terms: A Historical Lexicon. New York: New York University Press, 1967. [Ref B 49 P4]

    Concentrating on the development of philosophical terminology, this work contains such terms arranged alaphbetically in English. An English-Greek index is provided.

  • Post, Stephen G., ed. Encyclopedia of Bioethics, 3rd ed.. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, c2004. [Ref QH 332 E52 2004]

    Topics included in the Encyclopedia are: genome mapping, gene therapy, cryopreservation, veterinary ethics, and others. Five essays pertaining to bioethics offer additonal thoughts in this field. There is also an appendix containing ethical codes, oaths, etc.

  • Reese, William L. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion: Eastern and Western Thought. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1999. [B 41 R 43 1999 BldgOnly]

    The focus of this work is on philosophy with information on religious thought as a more minor aspect of the book. Included are, "analyses of the thought of virtually all major philosophers and religious leaders." Cross-references are made between concepts and thinkers; and, entries on individuals also contain a list of prinicpal writings with the entry. "Sketches," of the fields of philosophy are also included.

  • Sparkes, A.W. Talking Philosophy: A Wordbook. London; New York: Routledge, 1991. [B 49 S63 1991 BldgOnly]

    Arranged by theme, this reference examines terminology of Anglophone philosophy from the twentieth-century. Terminology pertaining to argument is also treated. An index and a bibliography are included.

  • Stewart, David, and Algis Mickunas. Exploring Phenomenology: A Guide to the Field and Its Literature. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990. [B 829 S67 1990]

    Chapters contained in this work examine such topics as Existential Phenomenology and the work of Husserl. A bibliography accompanies each chapter, and entries are included with brief annotations. An appendix includes bibliographies on thinkers such as Hiedegger and Sartre.

  • Horowitz, Maryanne Cline, ed.  New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2005.  [Ref CB 9 N49 2005]

    This encyclopedia clarifies the intellectual history of more than 750 complex ideas of concern to people today. It covers core Western ideas, including ’global perspectives and gender-inclusive’ concepts that have evolved in the past 30 years. Reader’s guides, cross-references, sidebars, and an index aid the reader in understanding the way ideas combine with other ideas.

  • Yolton, John W., et al. Blackwell Companion to the Enlightenment. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991. [Ref CB 411 B57 1991]

    Entries on philosophers contained in the Companion include: Rousseau, Kant, Hume, Molyneuz, and others. This reference also contains philosophical terms relating to the period. Bibliographies accompany most entries.

Specialized Reference Work: Philosophers

  • Brown, Stuart, Diane Collinson, and Robert Wilkinson, eds. Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth Century Philosophers. London: Routledge, 1996. [Ref B 104 B56X 1996]

    Representing philosophical thought from around the world, this reference contains biographical information about philosophers including nationality, categories, etc. Bibliographies of the indviduals' work(s), as well as secondary resources pertaining to that individual, are included in the entry about that person. Several indexes are contained within this work, including indexes on nationality, fields of interests, categories, etc. Name and subject indexes are also included, as well as a guide to schools and movements.

  • Hackett, Jeremiah, ed. Medieval Philosophers. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. [Ref PS 129 D53X V.115]

    Covering a time period between 345-1464, this work examines the lives of Islamic, Judaic, and Christian medieval philosophers. Lists of indivdual authors' work(s), biographical information, and a list of secondary sources are included in the entries. A cumulative index ends the volume.

  • McGreal, Ian P., ed. Great Thinkers of the Eastern World: The Major Thinkers and the Philosophical and Religious Classics of China, India, Japan, Korea, and the World of Islam. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. [Ref B 5005 G74 1995]

    109 essays including thinkers from China, Japan, Korea, India, and the Islamic World are contained in this reference. The work is organized by country or Islamic World, and then chronologically within each of these sections. Lesser known figures are also included in this work. Some major figures (e.g. Muhammad), however, have been excluded.

Directories and Biographical Sources

  • Directory of American Philosophers. Bowling Green, Ohio: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State University, 1963--. [Ref B 935 D5 Latest Issue]

    Gouped alphabetically first by state, and then by institution, this reference includes U.S. university and college philosophy departments. Entries contain department addresses and chairs, faculty members, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Information regarding assistantships, societies, etc. is also included, along with a directory of philosophers in Canada and the United States, a section on statistics, and indexes of institutions, societies, journals, etc.

  • International Directory of Philosophy and Philosophers. Bowling Green, Ohio: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State University, 1965--. [Ref B 35 I58X Latest Issue]

    This reference is comprised of five sections including college and university philosophy departments, research centers and institutes, etc. These are further divided by country. Each of the five sections has its own index. Contained within each entry are fax and phone numbers, e-mail addresses, names of faculty members, and more. An alphabetical listing of philosophers is also included.