Research and Course Guides: Philosophy: Background

Resources (Books)

The Blackwell dictionary of Western philosophy
Call Number: UST-OSF Reference B41 b .B79 2004
ISBN: 1405106794
Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy by Donal Zeyl, ed.
Call Number: UST-OSF Stacks B163 .E53 1997
ISBN: 0313287759
Historical dictionary of medieval philosophy and theology
Call Number: UST-IRL Stacks B721 .B77 2007
ISBN: 0810853264
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
Call Number: OSF Reference B 802 .E53 2003 v. 1-4
ISBN: 0195104307
Historical dictionary of ancient Greek philosophy by Anthony Preus
Call Number: UST-OSF Stacks B111 .P74 2007
ISBN: 9780810854871

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
Over 2,000 signed articles across the breadth of the discipline by international experts. Each year new or revised entries are added. The 10-volume print edition is available in Reference at both Ireland and OSF Libraries. Limited to 4 simultaneous users.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Philosophy e-books on Aesthetics • African-American • Ancient • Continental • Descartes • Epistemology • Feminist • Hegel • Heidegger • Hobbes • Hume • Kant • Latin America • Metaphysics • Middle Ages • Natural Theology • Nietzsche • Phenomenology • Plato • Religion •Science • Wittgenstein • World Philosophies
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
Contains many extended articles on a range of topics in philosophy from classical times to the modern day. Links to relevant sites are included in the articles.

Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks
Mix of print and ebooks in a series about important figures in Western philosophy, including Aristotle, Berkeley, Hume, Hegel, Wittgenstein, etc.
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
E-version of a well known dictionary with brief definitions and descriptions
Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Revised edition of a classic in the field, now part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
Now in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, this well known reference book traces significant ideas in Western civilization.
E-books in Philosophical Fields
CLICnet search for e-books on a wide variety of topics in philosophy.
Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy Online

Philpapers This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive directory of online philosophical articles and books by academic philosophers. It monitors journals in many areas of philosophy, as well as archives and personal pages. PhilPapers also accepts articles directly from users, who can provide links or upload copies. Some features require that you sign in first, but creating an account is easy and free.

Many fields have their own distinct philosophies and topics:

For interdsciplinary topics: