Philosophy and Religion
Overview
The following bibliography is a selective guide to information sources located in the J. Paul Leonard Library and to selected Internet sources. Location symbols are as follows:
GOVT Government Publications, 5th floor
REF Reference Stacks, 1st floor
PER Periodicals, 2nd floor
Some databases listed in this bibliography may only be available in the Library or to those with SFSU Internet accounts. For information about the location of, and access to, these databases, go to the Library's home page http://www.library.sfsu.edu and select "Databases--Find Articles and More."
InvestiGator
Use InvestiGator, the library's online catalog, to locate books: you may search by author, title, subject and other identifiers, and you may limit your search by date, language and format. InvestiGator will also tell you if a book is checked out or in a special location. Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to determine the subject headings for your topic. InvestiGator is available in the Library and via remote access.
The field of philosophy is very broad in scope and interdisciplinary in nature. Therefore, to find books on a particular subject, a few guidelines are suggested:
--Search subject headings beginning with Philosophy, Philosophical, etc. Examples: Philosophy, Ancient; Philosophy, French; Philosophy and religion.
--Search subject headings for specific philosophical topics, terms, or movements. Examples: Analysis (Philosophy); Ethics; Nihilism (Philosophy); Existentialism; Truth.
--For books ABOUT individual philosophers, search subject headings for the specific name of the philosopher.
Examples: Aristotle; Buber, Martin; Hume, David; Locke, John.
--Search subject headings for topics with the subdivision--Philosophy.
Examples: International law--Philosophy; Languages--Philosophy; Science--Philosophy.
The following are some of the more common subject headings used the the field of Philosophy.
Aesthetics Philosophy, Ancient
Analysis (Philosophy) Philosophy, Medieval
Ethics Philosophy, Modern
Free will and determination Scholasticism
Knowledge, Theory of Socrates
Logic Thought and thinking
Metaphysics Truth
Ontology Universals (Philosophy)
Phenomenology Women philosophers
Additional subject headings are listed in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), which is located near InvestiGator terminals. Consult with a Reference Librarian if you need additional help.
Biblographic Guides to the Literature
Blazek, Ron and Elizabeth Aversa. The Humanities: A Selective Guide to Information Sources. 4th ed. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1994. (Ref Z 6265 B53)
Sourcebook for all fields of study in the humanities.
Bynagle, Hans E. Philosophy: A Guide to the Research Literature. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1986. (Z 7125 B97) Includes useful annotations. Not as comprehensive as De George's work below, but more recent materials are reviewed. Emphasis primarily on English language materials.
De George, Richard T. The Philosopher's Guide to Sources, Research Tools, Professional Life, and Related Fields. Lawrence, Kansas: Regents Press of Kansas, 1980. (Z 7125 D445) Standard, comprehensive guide to the literature, covering bibliographies, indexes, histories, serial literature, etc. This ed. is an update of the 1971 ed., and includes sections on the literatures of related fields of Religion, Humanities, Fine Arts, Mathematics. Contains selective annotations. Lists primarily English language works, but includes French, German, Russian, and Spanish language materials.
List, Charles J. Library Research Guide to Philosophy. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Pierian Press, 1990. (B 52 L57)
Tice, Terrence N. and Thomas P. Slavens. Research Guide to Philosophy. Chicago: ALA, 1983. (B 52 T5) Although covers ancient to modern periods, the emphasis is on literature reflecting "the principal changes since the nineteenth century." Presented in essay format.
Bibliographies: General
A Bibliography of Philosophical Bibliographies. Herbert Guerry, ed. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1977. (Z 7125 A1 G83) Comprehensive work. Lists bibliographies published from 1450 to 1974. Divided into two parts, the first half covers bibliographies on individual philosophers, the second half covers philosophical topics. Limited annotations.
Dissertations in Philosophy Accepted at American Universities, 1861-1975. Thomas C. Bechtle and Mary F. Riley. New York: Garland, 1978. (Ref Z 7125 B38) Arranged by author, lists over 7,500 dissertations providing author, title, university, date, and the Dissertations Abstracts number when available. Includes subject index.
Manuel de bibliographie philosophique. Gilbert Varet. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1956. 2v. (Z 7125 V3) A standard bibliography in the field, covers books and articles published from about 1914 to 1934.
Tobey, Jeremy L. The History of Ideas: A Bibliographical Introduction. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 1975-77. 2v. (Z 7125 T58) Interdisciplinary, but much of the coverage is devoted to philosophy and aesthetics. Covers classical antiquity and medieval and early modern Europe.
Bibliographies: Serial
The following titles are published on an on-going basis and are located in the Periodicals Area.
Bibliographie de la philosophie/Bibliography of Philosophy. 1954- Q. Paris: Vrin. Vol. 1- . Covers books only, providing abstracts in the language of origin for books in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and in either English or French for books in other languages.
Repertoire bibliographique de la philosophie. 1949- Q. Louvain, Belgium: Institut Superieur de Philosophie. Books and periodical articles are included in this bibliography which attempts to cover current publications in Catalan, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Bibliographies: Specialized by Topic or Region
Goldstein, Doris Mueller. Bioethics: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1982. (Z 6675 E8 G64) Includes an annotated bibliography of about 1000 important documents based on the collection of the Bioethics Library at the Kennedy Institute.
Potter, Karl H. Guide to Indian Philosophy. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1988. (Z 7129 I5 P68) Annotated guide to books and journal articles published mainly between 1970 to 1986. Covers usual philosophical categories, and also includes sources on political and historical aspects. Limited to works that have some English explanation or translation.
Wei-Hsun Fu, Charles and Wing-tsit Chan. Guide to Chinese Philosophy. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1978. (Z 7129 C5 F8) Annotated bibliography of mainly English-language sources. Covers thought from pre-Confucian times to 20th century.
Biographical Sources and Directories
Cultural atlas of Islam. Ismail R. Al-Farugi. New York: Macmillan, 1986. (Ref DS 36.85 A39)
International Directory of Philosophy and Philosophers, 1986-89. 6th ed. Ramona Cornier and Richard H. Lineback, eds. Bowling Green, Ohio: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State University, 1986. (Ref B 35 I57) Covers international organizations in part 1, while part 2 lists college and university philosophy departments by country, providing listings of faculty members. A new edition is published approximately every four years.
Kersey, Ethel M. Women Philosophers: A Bio-critical Source Book. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. (Ref B 105 W6 K47) Mainly historical in coverage, listing women thinkers from antiquity to the first part of the twentieth century. Includes lengthy introduction and overview to the topic.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. John. L. Esposito, ed.-in-chief. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. 4v. (Ref DS 35.53 O95)
Thinkers of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical, Bibliographical and Critical Dictionary. Elizabeth Devine, et al., eds. Detroit: Gale, 1984. (Ref B 804 T456) Includes philosophers and others who have influenced civilization. Biographical sketches for each individual, along with a listing of his/her works, and works about the person are included.
Dictionaries, EEncyclopedias, Handbooks: General
A Dictionary of Comparative Religion. S.G.F. Brandon, general ed. New York: Scribner, 1970. (Ref BL 31 D54) Brief signed articles with bibliographies.
A Dictionary of Philosophy. 2nd ed. Alan Robert Lacey. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. (B 41 L33) Useful for the layperson or undergraduate student. Emphasis on Anglo-American philosophy, especially that which concerns epistemological or logical topics.
Dictionary of Philosophy. Rev. ed. Dagobert D. Runes, ed. New York: Philosophical Library, 1983. (Ref B 41 D53) Brief, signed definitions. International in scope.
Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas. Philip P. Wiener, ed.-in-chief. New York: Scribner's, 1973-1974. 4v. plus index. (Ref CB 5 D52) Encyclopedic work of articles relating to ideas in philosophy and related fields.
Enciclopedia filosofica. 2nd ed. Sansoni, 1968-1969. 6v. (Ref B 44 E5) In Italian, work is international in scope, covering individual, places, movements. Especially strong in its coverage of Italian philosophy.
Encyclopaedia Judaica. New York: Macmillan, 1971-1972. 16v. (Ref DS 102.8 E496 Folio) Authoritative work on Jewish life and belief. Illustrated. Index is in Vol. 1.
Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. James Hastings, ed. New York: Scribner, 1910-1927. 13v. (Ref BL 31 E4) Scholarly and comprehensive articles with bibliographies.
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Paul Edwards, ed.-in-chief. New York: Macmillan, 1967. 8v. (Ref B 41 E5) A standard, comprehensive work. Covers Western and Eastern philosophy, from ancient to early modern times. Circulating copy in main stacks.
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Donald M. Borchert, ed.-in-chief. New York: Macmillan, 1996. (Ref B 41 E5 Supp.) The Supplement to the Encyclopedia of Philosophy clearly presents the questions at the center of issues ranging from abortion to war. The articles address areas of thought that were overlooked by the original set (African Philosophy) or that have developed since (Fuzzy Logic). The Supplement contains 357 articles; entries are divided into four broad types: overview entries; new entries; biographies; updates.
Encyclopedia of Religion. Mircea Eliade, ed. New York: Macmillan, 1987. 16v. (Ref BL 31 E46)
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion. Edited by Paul Kevin Meagher, et al. Washington, D.C.: Corpus Pubns., 1979. 3v. (BL 31 E4) Lengthy definitions with bibliographic references.
Handbook of World Philosophy: Contemporary Developments since 1945. John R. Burr, ed. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980. (B 804 A1 H36) An international survey covering topics from 1945 to about 1977. Contains substantial bibliographies. Useful since it takes a regional and country approach which is not duplicated in other reference sources. Also, includes a list of congresses and meetings.
Kennedy, Richard. The International Dictionary of Religion: a profusely illustrated guide to the beliefs of the world. New York: Crossroad, 1984. (Ref BL 31 K42) One volume dictionary, color illustrations. Appendices include calendars of religious festivals, chronologies of belief, map depicting distribution of major religions, and extensive bibliographies.
Lives of the Saints. Herbert Thurston and Donald Attwater, eds. New York: Kenedy, 1956. 4v. (Ref BX 4654 B8) Biographical essays arranged by months and days of each month. General index at end of Vol. 4.
New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. 15v. + suppls. (Ref BX 841 N44) Index is in Vol. 15. Signed articles with bibliographies. A standard reference work.
The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Simon Blackburn. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. (Ref B 41 B53) Considered one of the best dictionary in the field by some reviewers. Contains good lucid definitions of key words and phrases. Includes biographical entries. Emphasis on Anglo-American school of thought, with some coverage of Oriental and Continental philosophy.
Reese, William L. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion: Eastern and Western Thought. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1980. (B 804 A1 H36) "Although termed a Dictionary of..., has many encyclopedic features, including analyses of thought of all major philosophers and religious leaders."--Pref. This is the only single volume dictionary with a significant body of material on both Western and Eastern thought.
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Handbooks: Specialized by Topic or Region
Dictionary of Asian Philosophies. St. Elmo Nauman, Jr. New York: Philosophical Library, 1978. (B 5005 N38) Includes Middle Eastern as well as the Far Eastern thought.
Dictionary of Marxist Thought. Tom Bottomore, ed. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983. (HX 17 D5) Covers Marxist thought in such areas as aesthetics, ethics, and theory of knowledge.
Greek Philosophical Terms: A Historical Lexicon. Francis Edwards Peters. New York: New York University Press, 1967. (Ref B 49 P4) Specialized dictionary for the study of Greek philosophers and the origins of Greek philosophical terms.
Periodical Indexes
Periodical articles (journal and magazine articles) are not listed in the InvestiGator catalog. They can be located through the use of periodical indexes shelved alphabetically by title in the Reference Area on the first floor of the Library. Some relevant indexes for Philosophy are:
Arts and Humanities Citation Index, 1978- 3/yr. Ann. cum. Philadelphia: Institute for Scientific Information. Offers unparalleled coverage of journals. However, use of index requires careful reading of the introductions to the various volumes.
British Humanities Index. 1962- Q. Ann. sum. London: Library Association. A guide to articles appearing in newspaper and journals published in Britain.
Catholic Periodical and Literature Index. v. 14, 1967-current.
Humanities Index. 1975- Q. Ann. cum. New York: H.W. Wilson. A leading cumulative index to English-language periodicals in the humanities.
The Philosopher's Index: An International Index to Philosophical Periodicals and Books. 1967- Q. Ann. cum. Bowling Green, Ohio: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State University. Considered an important source for researchers in philosophy. Provides abstracts in English for articles from all major philosophy journals in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Also, books in English are included.
Religion Index One: Periodicals. v. 24, 1993. Evanston, Illinois: American Theological Library Association. A subject index to periodical literature including an author/editor index and a scripture index.
For other periodical indexes relevant to your research, consult with a Reference Librarian.
Periodical Reviews and Book Review Journals
Philosophical Books, 1960- . Vol. 1- . Leicester, Eng.: Leicester University Press, 1960-1978. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1978- . (Periodicals) A quarterly journal which "aims to provide prompt, scholarly reviews of new professional books and journals in philosophy and the history of philosophy."
Ruben, Douglas H. Philosophy journals and serials: an analytical guide. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985. (Z 7127 R83 ) Reviews over 300 English language serials. Detailed information about target audiences, circulation, manuscript selection. Evaluative comments about titles.
Periodical Titles
The following is a selective list of some of the core periodical titles in Philosophy available in this Library.
American Philosophical Quarterly Philosophical Quarterly
Analysis Philosophical Review
British Journal for the Philosophy of Science Philosophy and Public Affairs
International Philosophical Quarterly Philosophy East and West
Journal of Philosophy Review of Metaphysics
Journal of the History of Philosophy Teaching Philosophy
Mind Telos
Monis
There are many more journals related to the subject area of Philosophy. Consult with a Reference Librarian if you need additional help in identifying journal titles.
If our Library does not own the book or periodical you need or if it is not available, click on Link+ from the Library Home Page or Other Libraries to see if you may borrow it from another library. You may click on to Document Delivery Service from the Library Home Page to request your book or articles from other libraries.
(Rev. 9-96 RSM)
