Philosophy: Reference Sources
Resources for research in philosophy
Online Resources
- Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy This link opens in a new windowCovers every aspect of philosophy from Aristotle to Zen. Entries include over 500 biographies of famous and influential philosophers, in-depth analysis of philosophical terms and concepts, a chronology of philosophical events stretching from 10,000 BC to the present day, and coverage of themes from Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy.
- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new windowReference work on all aspects of philosophy.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy"The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work."
- Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new windowThese guides "offer lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods... It is fully searchable by author, title, topic, or theme (Cambridge University Press)." Rice University has access to the full collection through 2023.
- Encyclopedia of Aesthetics This link opens in a new windowPart of Oxford Art Online, this encyclopedia features more than 600 articles by over 500 recognized art historians, philosophers, and theorists. It surveys critical thought on art, culture, and society, as well as major concepts, thinkers, and debates about the meaning, uses, and value of all the arts - from painting and sculpture to literature, music, theater, dance, television, film, and popular culture. Of special interest are the surveys of Western aesthetics and coverage of non-Western traditions and theories of art.
- Encyclopedia of Bioethics This link opens in a new window"Covering a wealth of topics on the ethics of health professions, animal research, population control and the environment, this title helps researchers to consider the impact of new scientific knowledge and its potential to harm or benefit present and future generations (Gale)."
- Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy This link opens in a new window"Examines the philosophical and ethical issues underlying contemporary and historical environmental issues, policies, and debates. Covers concepts, institutions, topics, events and people, including global warming, animal rights, environmental movements, alternative energy, green chemistry, industrial ecology, and eco-sabotage (Gale)."
- Gale Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window"English-language reference source for philosophy, has been the cornerstone of the philosophy reference shelf. Lauded for its clear and accessible presentation of wide-ranging philosophical subjects, the Encyclopedia has earned its place as a first-stop resource for general readers, students and educators (Gale)."
- International Encyclopedia of Ethics This link opens in a new windowThis resource "espouses a broad vision of ethics that creates links to many other disciplines, including medicine, technology studies, computer science, business, religion, and law. Entries range in size from shorter definitions and biographies to extended treatments of major topics (Wiley).
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowA collection of e-books containing in-depth articles covering the following subject areas: Archaeology, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Social Work and Sociology. Users can use subject browse options on the top navigation bar and subject filters on the left-hand pane of the search results page. See more information for years owned..
- Oxford Reference - The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy This link opens in a new window"This is the first comprehensive reference work devoted to philosophy in Britain. In addition to biographical entries on the lives and works of individual thinkers, it incorporates major historical surveys of the core philosophical topics, mini factual entries to facilitate reference, and detailed entries on themes, movements, institutions, journals, influences and theories through the ages. The Encyclopedia brings together 2,500 entries contributed by over 500 international experts (Oxford University Press)."
- Oxford Reference - The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers This link opens in a new window"The Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century German Philosophers is a massive reference work featuring those eighteenth-century German philosophers, scholars, jurists, literary critics, historians and others whose work has lasting philosophical significance. The century covered in the Dictionary was one of profoundly innovative philosophical investigation, during which enlightenment thinking arrived in Germany and many established conceits were challenged. This activity is covered here in more than 650 alphabetical entries. Each discusses a particular philosopher’s life, contributions to the world of thought, and later influences. Entries also include bibliographical references to encourage further reading (Oxford University Press)."
Related Resources
- Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature This link opens in a new windowAccounts of the lives of many classical authors and character entries and plot summaries for their works. General entries trace the development of literary forms such as comedy and tragedy. There is also wide coverage of the historical, political, social, and artistic background.
- Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new windowThis series brings together "over 300 volumes spanning fifteen subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, with a concentration on political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music and the arts (Cambridge University Press)." Rice University owns access to this series through 2023.
- MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Sciences This link opens in a new windowMITECS classifies the cognitive and brain sciences into six domains: (1) computational intelligence (2) culture, cognition, and evolution (3) linguistics and language (4) neuroscience (5) philosophy, and (6) psychology. Each section contains an extended series of brief entries on the defining research topics of the domain.
- New Dictionary of the History of Ideas This link opens in a new windowHistory of Western thought and culture. Each entry explores the origin, cultural interpretations, and historical themes of such subjects as beauty, love, feminism, diversity, and social capital, among many others.
- Lexikon des Mittelalters & International Encyclopaedia for the Middle Ages This link opens in a new windowThe standard encyclopaedia for medieval studies. It deals with all branches of Medieval Studies and covers the period from 300 to 1500 AD/CE for the whole of Europe and parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Users can perform automatic bibliographic searches in the International Medieval Bibliography Online. International Encyclopaedia of the Middle Ages Online is a supplement to Lexikon des Mittelalters online, providing original articles that cover the time period 300-1500 CE, in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
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