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Philosophy Research | Los Angeles Public Library
Philosophy Research | Los Angeles Public Library
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Research & Homework
Gale eBooks
: Search Gale’s collection of e-books for brief one to three page entries on philosophical topics. Available titles in this collection: Ancient Philosophy from 600 BCE to 500 CE; Medieval Philosophy from 500 CE to 1500 CE, and Modern Philosophy from 1500 CE to the present. Materials contain philosophical concepts as they relate to other fields of study such as religion, science, or political science.
Gale General OneFile
: Under
Search Tools
, click on
Subject Guide Search
. To get an idea of the scope of articles available in General OneFile, enter "Philosophy" in the
Subject Guide Search
box. Under
More Options
enter further criteria as desired, e.g. “Full-text”, “Peer-reviewed”, or publication date range. The results page shows thousands of results for the simple search of “Philosophy”. To narrow the results further, click on
related subjects
to see a list of other accepted subject terms on philosophy in the General OneFile database.
Oxford Reference Online – Premium Collection
: To see a title list of available philosophy reference e-books, click on the subject tab, then select
Philosophy
. To search for a specific philosophical concept or philosopher, enter your search terms in the search box at the top of the page. On the search results page, look for the
Refine by Subject
option, and click on
Philosophy
to limit results to this field.
Research Library (Proquest)
: To see a list of Proquest’s accepted subject terms on philosophy, click on
Advanced Search
. Next, click on
Thesaurus
. If the thesaurus doesn’t appear, disable your browser’s pop-up blocker. Search the thesaurus for “philosophy”. From the results list, click on
philosophy
to see narrower subject terms. Click on the checkbox next to the desired subject term, and click on the
Add to Search
button. The added subject term will appear on the advanced search page. Add any additional search terms and limit the search to full-text and/or peer-reviewed, if desired. Click search to get the search results. If none of the terms in the thesaurus are applicable to your search, return to the basic search page and search your concept or person by keyword. Enclose an exact phrase within quotation marks.
Web Resources
Library Catalog
Search by author for works by a particular philosopher.
For works about a particular philosopher or philosophy topic, search by subject on the philosopher’s name (e.g. Nietzsche) or the topic (e.g. Philosophy Asian or ethics).
Search by keyword, and include "dictionary" or "companion" with "philosophy", or search by the name of a particular philosopher or concept.
LAPL provides e-media resources which can be checked out and used on your laptop or smart device. On the left side of the search results page, under Format, click on
Electronic Resource
to limit the search results to
e-AudioBook
or
e-Book
Introductions and Surveys
The following are but a few of the titles on philosophy available at the library. Click on a title to view more information, such as summary, availability, and subject headings to follow for similar titles.
Bassham, Gregory.
The philosophy book: from the Vedas to the new atheists, 250 milestones in the history of philosophy
book
e-book
Chronological overview of 250 milestones of the most important philosophical theories, events and publications over the last 3500 years.
Butler-Bowdon, Tom.
50 philosophy classics: your shortcut to the most important ideas on being, truth and meaning
book
e-book
hoopla e-audiobook
Overdrive e-audiobook
Essays summarizing influential philosophical texts from ancient times to present day.
Classics of western philosophy
Complete text of twenty masterpieces and selections from others with biographical information and commentary.
Companion to world philosophies
Introductory survey of major non-Western philosophies including Indian, Islamic, Buddhist, Polynesian, Chinese and Japanese.
Durant, Will.
Story of philosophy
book
e-book
e-audiobook
Classic history of western philosophy.
Grayling, A.C.
History of philosophy
book
e-book
Covers both Western and Eastern traditions.
How philosophy works: the concepts visually explained
book
e-book
Demystifies the key ideas of the world’s greatest philosophers using infographics and jargon-free text.
Joad, C. E. M.
Guide to philosophy
Discusses major philosophical theories in relation to basic questions, such as, "Is there a plan for the universe?"
Rooney, Anne.
How the world works: Philosophy: from the ancient Greeks to great thinkers of modern times
Overview of Western philosophy with biographies of influential philosophers, definitions of key concepts, and summaries of important texts. Explores concepts within the five major branches of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics and aesthetics.
Smart, Ninian.
World philosophies
Worldwide coverage of major philosophies throughout history, arranged geographically.
Williamson, Timothy.
Doing philosophy: from common curiosity to logical reasoning
book
e-book
Williamson presents an accessible account of how modern philosophers think and work, an overview of philosophical methods and theories, and a history of philosophical thinking’s success and failures.
Encyclopedias
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(10 vols.)
Covers philosophies and philosophers worldwide. Issues affecting philosophy, such as feminist theology, predestination, and theories of psychology are included. Available for in-library use only at Central Library.
Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
One volume version of the 10-volume work above, available for circulation and in branches.
World Philosophers and Their Works
(3 vols.)
Each entry begins with a biographical section followed by an overview of representative works. Annotated bibliographies are useful for finding additional books in the online catalog. Available for in-library use only at Central Library.
Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
(4 vols.)
Includes articles on abortion, Aristotelian ethics, divorce, social security, stoicism, and nonviolence in film and television. Available for in-library use only at Central Library.
Biography Resources
Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Philosophers
Available for in-library use only at Central Library.
Kersey, Ethel.
Women Philosophers: a Bio-Critical Source Book
Available for in-library use only at Central Library.
Philosophers: their lives and works
Illustrated biographies of more than 100 of the world’s greatest philosophers.
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