Research Guides: Phil 150: Introduction to Reality (Spring 2023): Reference Materials

Reference Materials

What is a Reference Book?

Reference materials are sources that provide a broad overview on a topic. They are typically "scholarly" and written by experts in a field, HOWEVER they aren't always considered "peer reviewed" are should not usually be cited directly in a paper. They are excellent starting points and will direct you toward useful peer-reviewed materials. You typically won't want to use a reference work as a cited source in your works, however they are excellent if you need a quick overview on a topic, or if you need to quickly identify seminal works (which you can cite!) on your topic.

A Few Philosophy Reference Materials of Particular Note:

Oxford Bibliographies Online: Philosophy
Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on philosophy. Bibliographies are browsable by subject area and keyword searchable.

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.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Donald M. Borchert (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 0028657802
Publication Date: 2005-12-16
Since 1967, the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, described by Booklist as the best and most comprehensive 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. A Supplement to the first edition was released to critical acclaim in 1996. A new and updated edition of this multivolume set -- the first comprehensive new edition in almost 40 years -- has been compiled under the close guidance of a 21-member board of scholars headed by Donald Borchert (Ohio University). Containing material from hundreds of highly distinguished contributors representing the worlds top universities and institutions, the second edition has a truly global perspective. It contains more than 2, 100 entries -- including more than 450 new articles. Among the many topics covered are African, Islamic, Jewish, Russian, Chinese, and Buddhist philosophies; bioethics and biomedical ethics; art and aesthetics; epistemology; metaphysics; peace and war; social and political philosophy; the Holocaust; feminist thought; and much more. Additionally, the second edition also features 1, 000 biographical entries on major figures in philosophical thought throughout history. 01
The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Edward Craig (Editor)
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 0415511232
Publication Date: 2005-05-13
The Shorter REP presents the very best of the acclaimed ten volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy in a single volume. It makes a selection of the most important entries available for the first time and covers all you need to know about philosophy, from Aristotle to Wittgenstein and animals and ethics to scientific method. Comprising over 900 entries and covering the major philosophers and philosophical topics, The Shorter REP includes the following special features: Unrivalled coverage of major philosophers, themes, movements and periods making the volume indispensable for any student or general reader Fully cross-referenced Revised versions of many of the most important entries, including fresh suggestions for further reading Over twenty brand new entries on important new topics such as Cloning and Sustainability entries by many leading philosophers such as Bernard Williams, Martha Nussbaum, Richard Rorty, Onora O'Neill, T.M. Scanlon and Anthony Appiah Striking new text design to help locate key entries quickly and easily An outstanding guide to all things philosophical, The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides an unrivalled introduction to the subject for students and general readers alike.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy 10V by Edward Craig (Editor)
Call Number: B51 .R48 1998
ISBN: 0415073103
Publication Date: 1998-05-26
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the most ambitious international philosophy project in many years. Edited by Edward Craig and assisted by thirty specialist subject editors, the REP consists of ten volumes of the world's most eminent philosophers writing for the needs of students and teachers of philosophy internationally. The REP is a project on an unparalleled scale: Over 2000 entries ranging from 500 to 15,000 words in length - thematic, biographical and national 10 volumes consisting of over 5 million words of text plus considerable bibliographic material A Chief Editor and thirty specialist Subject Editors from across the world Over 1200 authors from all over the world. The importance of the REP is not to be found just in the sheer size of the project but also in its breadth of subject matter. It covers: The core of most Anglo-American philosophy - the metaphysical, epistemological and logical questions The usual menu of ethics, political philosophy and the history of philosophy The philosophy of other cultures - from Chinese, Arabic and Jewish philosophy to the philosophy of Africa and Latin America The most impressive range of authors have been gathered together on this unique project: William Alston, Roderick Chisolm, Fred Dretske, Joel Feinberg, Sandra Harding, Larry Laudan, Martha Nussbaum, Richard Popkin, Richard Rorty, Alan Ryan, Gyatri Chakravorty Spivak, Stephen Stich, Patrick Suppes and Bernard Williams, to name just a few. Also available online: www.rep.routledge.com

internet philosophy encyclopedia
Hosted by the University of Tennessee at Martin, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP) (ISSN 2161-0002) was founded in 1995 to provide open access to detailed, scholarly, peer-reviewed information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy. The Encyclopedia receives no funding, and it operates through the volunteer work of the editors, authors, volunteers, and technical advisers. The Encyclopedia is free of charge and available to all users of the Internet worldwide. The staff of 30 editors and approximately 300 authors hold doctorate degrees and are professors at universities around the world. There are over 8.2 million unique visitors every year (unique in the sense that someone who views three article one day, and two articles the next month, is counted as one visitor).

Why Reference Materials Matter?

While you don't typically cite these are sources in papers, they are very good starting points and help you:

learn more about a topic at the beginning of a project
identify key works to examine
provide ideas on keywords.

Example:

My initial search was for "mind upload" but the entry in Encyclopedia of artificial intelligence : the past, present, and future of AI (Frana & M. J. Klein, Eds.) suggest I should instead use the term "whole brain emulation"