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Philosophy: Reference Resources

Using Reference Resources

A reference source is a compendium of authoritative information, compiled for ease of use.

Reference materials include

subject or general encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauri
statistics
biographical compilations
maps

Reference materials may be found on our main floor to the left of the Research Services Desk as well as online.

Key Reference Titles

PRINT REFERENCE WORKS

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy

REFERENCE B131 .G67 1989

The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers

REFERENCE B41 .C66 1989

The Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy

REFERENCE BL31 .M23 1989

Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
REFERENCE B121 .E53 2001

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
REFERENCE B802 .E53 2003

Key Concepts in Eastern Philosophy

REFERENCE B5010 .L43 1999

New Dictionary of the History of Ideas

REFERENCE CB9 .N49 2005

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

REFERENCE B41 .B53 2005

Philosophy: a guide to the reference literature

REFERENCE B72 .B1 B97 2006

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
REFERENCE B51 .R68 1998

World Philosophy: Essay-Reviews of 225 Major Works

REFERENCE B29 W68 1982

OTHER REFERENCE WORKS

The Oxford Companion to Philosophy

The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics

The Encyclopedia of Ethics

The Dictionary of Existentialism

Philosophy: a guide to the reference literature

The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy

Library Online Reference Resources

Good places to start:

Credo Reference
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of titles covering everything from accounting to zoology
Gale Virtual Reference Library
30 Reference books and Encyclopedias in Religion, History, Philosophy, and more.
Oxford Reference
Resource discontinued as of 12/31/2017.
Please contact libref@unca.edu if you need help accessing alternate resources.
CQ Researcher
Covering today's most important issues and controversial subjects. Weekly issue covers an in-depth, single topic report featuring more than 12,000 words of text and extensive bibliographies.
Oxford English Dictionary
The standard dictionary of the English language. Includes a history of individual words along with their derivation and usage examples.

Other Online Library Reference Databases:

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Online Resources

Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment

Encyclopedia of Aesthetics

Encyclopedia of Semiotics

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Searchable, regularly updated collection of entries from experts in the field of philosophy.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Detailed scholarly entries on major figures and concepts in philosophy.