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Subject Guide: Philosophy

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Subject Guide: Philosophy

This selective guide to resources in philosophy is meant to provide a starting point for research and does not represent all available resources.

How to Find Books and Articles
Background Information
Notable Journals
Notable Websites
Associations and Societies
Philosophy at Baruch College
For Further Help

How to Find Books and Articles

Books
            Search CUNY+, the online catalog of the library.

To find books written BY a specific philosopher, type the author’s last name, then the first name in the search box. Then select “Author” from the list of options labeled “Search keyword(s) in:.”

To find books ABOUT a specific philosopher, type that person’s last name, then their first name (if you know it), and then select “Subject” from the pull-down menu labeled “Search keyword(s) in:.”

You can also search for books if you know the specific title you want. After typing in the title of the book, select “Title” from the pull-down menu labeled “Search keyword(s) in:.”

If you want to find books on a particular topic, type in your search terms (such as “business ethics” or “Arabic logic”), and then select the option of “All fields” where it says “Search keyword(s) in:.”

Books are arranged on the shelves by call number. The letters at the start of a call number indicate a specific subject:

• Reference books in philosophy (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.): 2nd floor (Baruch reference)
• Circulating books (ones you can borrow): 3rd floor (Baruch stacks)

The primary database for finding articles written by philosophers is Philosopher’s Index. Here is a list of all databases that might be useful for locating articles in philosophy:

Academic Search Premier
WWW
Full text access to nearly 3,200 magazines and journals covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Part of EBSCOhost.

Humanities Abstracts
WWW
Humanities Abstracts cites articles from English-language periodicals beginning with 1984. Topics include Art, Communications, Dance, Film, Folklore, Gender Studies, History, Journalism, Literary & Social Criticism, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy and Religion.

Philosopher's Index
WWW
The Philosopher's Index is a bibliographic database with author-written abstracts covering scholarly research in philosophy, published in journals and books since 1940.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
CD-ROM (only availble from 2nd. floor workstations)
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy on CD-ROM features the entire text of all volumes of the print encyclopedia. The articles can be found either alphabetically or through "guided paths" using philosophical diciplines and sub-disciplines, such as Ancient Philosophy and Philosophy of Science. Articles on the CD-ROM are also searchable.

Other databases that may also be useful:

ABI/Inform Global
WWW
The ABI/Inform Global database on the World Wide Web covers 1,300 journals and magazines related to business, management and finance since 1971. This includes full-text articles (starting in 1987) for 1,000 titles and citations and abstracts for the others.

Particularly helpful for information on business ethics, the ABI/Inform Global database on the World Wide Web covers 1,300 journals and magazines related to business, management and finance since 1971. This includes full-text articles (starting in 1987) for 1,000 titles and citations and abstracts for the others.

Business Source Premier
WWW
Full text access to nearly 2,280 scholarly business journals covering management, economics, finance, accounting, and international business. Full text available for many journals from 1990 to present. Includes Wall Street Words thesaurus, 35 country reports from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and a Dun & Bradstreet Company Directory. Part of EBSCOhost. Also helpful for information on business ethics.

Modern Language Association International Bibliography - MLA
WWW
Provides a classified listing and subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Annually indexes over 50,000 books and articles from over 4,000 journals. Contains all the entries in the print issues from 1963 to date. Updated 10 times a year. Access through the Literature Resource Center.

PsycINFO
WWW
PsycINFO provides citations and abstracts from journals and other publications in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines, such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law. Coverage begins with 1887.

Sociological Abstracts (formerly Sociofile)
WWW
Sociological Abstracts (formerly Sociofile) indexes literature in sociology and related disciplines, both theoretical and applied. Sociological Abstracts is the electronic version of the print indexes, Sociological Abstracts and Social Planning/Policy and Development Abstracts, from 1963 forward, plus enhanced dissertations citations from Dissertation Abstracts International since 1986. Part of Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.

Background Information

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Consider using a dictionary or encyclopedia of philosophy when you need a quick overview of a topic in philosophy, such as:

-    a definition of philosophical concept or term
-    an introduction to the work of a specific philosopher
-    a survey of a branch or school of philosophy.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (print)
               All of the books below are found on the 2nd floor of the library in the reference collection.

Overviews and introductions to a wide range of philosophical concepts and to the works of specific philosophers:

Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Ref. B41 .C35 1995
The focus of this dictionary is primarily on Western philosophy. Entries range in length from one paragraph to several pages and have bibliographies and cross references.

Dictionary of World Philosophy
Ref. B41 .I26 2001
Especially strong in coverage on non-European philosophy. Entries range in length from ¼ page to full page and have cross references and bibliographies.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Ref. B41 .E5 1972
This eight-volume encyclopedia offers long entries (ranging from 1-5 pages), mostly on topics in Western philosophy. Each entry contains a lengthy bibliography but does not offer cross references.

Enduring Issues in Philosophy
Ref. B72 .E53 1995
Reprints essays by notable philosophers on five key issues in philosophy: what is knowledge, what is real, does God exist, what is morality, and what is the purpose of government.

Oxford Companion to Philosophy
Ref. B51 .O94 1995
Entries range in length from one paragraph to several pages and have bibliographies and cross references.

Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
Ref. B41 .B53 1996 (Also available online)
Entries are short (1-2 paragraphs), cover a wide range of terms and philosophers, and contain cross references.

Specific topics in or approaches to philosophy:

Blackwell Guide to Philosophical Logic
Ref. BC71 .B565 2001
The twenty chapters in this book offer an overview of philosophical logic. Each chapter includes a bibliography.

Dictionary of Existentialism
Ref. B819 .D455 1999
Entries are provided for broad concepts and topics relating to existentialism and for notable philosophers associated with existentialism (Sartre, Husserl, etc.) Entries include bibliographies and cross references.

Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
Ref. BH56 .E53 1998
This four-volume encyclopedia offers a comprehensive approach to ideas and concepts in aesthetics. Entries vary in length from 2-10 pages. Bibliographies and cross references are found at the end of each entry.

Encyclopedia of Ethics
Ref. BJ63 .E45 2001
This three-volume encyclopedia provides entries of 2-5 pages in length, each of which has cross references and extensive bibliographies.

Specific regions or countries:

Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
Ref. B121 .C66 1997
Each of the six sections of this book covers a different philosophical tradition: Persian, Indian, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese, Islamic. Long essays (15-20 pages) in each section provide an introduction to each tradition, review its various schools, and explore treatment of classic philosophical topics (e.g., knowledge, logic, morals). Each chapter ends with an extensive bibliography.

Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Ref. B131 .G67 1989
This unique resource translates Sanskrit philosophical terms into plain English. Entries include cross references.

Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen
Ref. BL1005 .L4813 1989
The brief entries in this book contain extensive cross references and offer a comprehensive look at the terminology of four major religious and philosophical traditions.

Specific time periods:

Blackwell Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Thought
Ref. H41 .B53 1993
While not strictly focused on philosophy, this book offers short entries on topics and issues that are highly relevant to philosophers (e.g., “action and agency,” “empiricism,” “trust and cooperation.” An appendix provides brief biographies of notable contributors to social thought in the twentieth century (Adorno to Wittgenstein).

Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
Ref. B163 .E53 1997
With a focus on Green and Roman philosophy, this encyclopedia provides moderately long entries (1/2 a page to 5-6 pages) that have bibliographies and cross references. An excellent source for information on lesser known Greek and Roman philosophers as well as for the more famous (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle).

Overviews of classic works of philosophy:

Masterpieces of World Philosophy
Ref. B75 .M37 1990
Offers overviews of more than 80 classic works in philosophy. Each entries includes a bibliography.

World Philosophy: Essay Reviews of 225 Major Works
Ref. B29 .W68 1982
Each of the 225 works of philosophy that are summarized here is covered in a entry of 5-6 pages and contains an annotated bibliography. Most of the works are by Western philosophers (from Abelard to Zeno) but there are some Indian and Chinese texts covered as well.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (online)

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
With 2000 entries, this is one of the standard reference works in philosophy. Connect to this CD-ROM from the Information Resources page on the library web site. This encyclopedia can only be accessed from computers on the 2nd floor of the library.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
Entries are written primarily by scholars and usually include a bibliography.

Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
Ref. B41 .B53 1996 (Also available online)
Entries are short (1-2 paragraphs), cover a wide range of terms and philosophers, and contain cross references.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu
New entries and revised entries are added constantly to this small but growing encyclopedia, which is a project of the Metaphysics Research Lab and the Center for the Study of Language and Information (both at Stanford University).

Notable Journals

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The following is a selective list of philosophy journals that the library may have in print or online (or both) To find a journal in print, type in the title of the journal in the search screen of CUNY+. If you need to find an article on a specific topic in philosophy, the best way to do that is to search one of the databases listed above.

American Philosophical Quarterly
           Available in print
Analysis
           Available online
Environmental Ethics
           Available in print
Ethics
           Available in print and online
Journal of Philosophy
           Available in print and online
Journal of Symbolic Logic
           Available online
Law and Philosophy
           Available online
Mind
           Available online
Nomos
           Available in print
Philosophical Forum
           Available in print and online
Philosophical Review
           Available in print and online
Philosophical Studies
           Available online
Philosophy and Public Affairs
           Available online
Philosophy of Science
           Available online
Social Theory and Practice
           Available in print and online

Notable Websites

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Although the easiest way to find original works of philosophy and commentary and criticism of it is to search for books and articles, it is possible to find some valuable content on the web.

American Philosophical Association: Web Resources
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/resources/
A comprehensive set of links to resources on the web: associations, journals, centers, conferences, electronic texts, and more.

Episteme Links
http://www.epistemelinks.com/
Offers more than 13,000 links organized into many different categories (philosophers by topic area and by time period, philosophy topics by time period, and more).

Guide to Philosophy on the Internet
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/philinks.htm
Assembled by Peter Suber, Professor of Philosophy at Earlham College, this is another reliable and thorough set of links.

Associations and Societies

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Societies and associations play an important role in the creation and transmission of scholarship in the field of philosophy. The following is a selective list of notable scholarly organizations. Some of the web sites listed below simply provide basic information about the organization (mission, announcement of annual conference, membership information), while others offer more substantial content (articles from journals and newsletters they sponsor, biographies of philosophers, conference papers, reports, and other publications).

Societies Focused on One Philosopher

Dewey, John
            John Dewey Society
            http://johndeweysociety.org/

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
            Hegel Society of America
            http://www.hegel.org/

Hume, David
            Hume Society
            http://www.humesociety.org/

Husserl, Edmund
            Husserl Circle
            http://www.husserlcircle.org/

James, William
            William James Society
            http://www.pragmatism.org/societies/william_james.htm

Kant, Immanuel
            North American Kant Society
            http://naks.ucsd.edu/

Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm
            Leibniz Soceity of North America
            http://philosophy2.ucsd.edu/~rutherford/Leibniz/leibsoc.htm

Nietzsche, Friedrich
            Friedrich Nietzsche Society
            http://www.fns.org.uk/

Peirce, Charles S.
            Charles S. Peirce Society
            http://www.peircesociety.org/

Russell, Bertrand
            Bertrand Russell Society
            http://www.users.drew.edu/%7Ejlenz/brs.html

Sartre, Jean Paul
            North American Sartre Society
            http://condor.stcloudstate.edu/~phil/nass/home.html

Philosophy at Baruch College

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Department of Philosophy at Baruch College
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/departments/philosophy/welcome.html

Philosophy Club
http://www.scsu.baruch.cuny.edu/scsu/stulife/clubs/descrip2.html#PHILOSOPHY
This student organization meets on Thursdays during club hours.

For Further Help

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To speak with, telephone, e-mail, or chat with a librarian, see the Ask a Librarian page on the library web site.