Why Study Philosophy?
“The study of philosophy helps us to enhance our ability to solve problems, our communication skills, our persuasive powers, and our writing skills.”((https://www.jmu.edu/philrel/why-study-philosophy/why-study-philosophy.shtml))
If you plan to pursue business, medicine, science, religion, law, human service, or a mindful, meaningful life, philosophy will help you get there.
The African American Philosophers
Interview: “The Pain & Promise of Black Women in Philosophy”
Core Reference
In this guide you can find highly useful research sources from the library’s collections and on the open web.
Peer-Reviewed Encyclopedias
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. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP) Open access to detailed, scholarly information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy. Peer-reviewed.Dictionaries
A Dictionary of Philosophical Logic Oxford Dictionary of PhilosophyList of Key Books
General Western Philosophy
Eastern Philosophy
Medical Ethics
Scholarly Sources
Small List of Relevent Journals
Finding Articles
Use the search box below to explore an aggregation of journals across most of our research databases.
Featured Research Databases
WCC Opposing Viewpoints
Searchable foundation material, pro and con, for logical arguments on many applied-philosophy topics like morality, ethics, religion, life, death, freedom, rights, environment, equality, suffering, and individualism.
WCC Religions & Philosophy Collection
Extensive coverage of world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy, history of philosophy, and so forth.
No clue what to do a paper on? “Browse By Topic” provides subtopics with summary; links to key foundational works; links to introductions; and further subcategories. Fascinating exploration tool that both informs immediately and encourages drilling down. Continuously updated research content in journals, books, open access archives, and academics’ personal pages. Some articles are full-text; if the full article isn’t in PhilPapers, you may find it in OneSearch or our Religions & Philosophy Collection.
Keeping Up With...
FilmsOnDemand: Philosophy & ReligionAn academic resource with hundreds of videos in their Philosophy & Religion category.
A video series on philosophy project created by Yale and MIT. Funny and informative. History of Philosophy without any gaps
Excellent podcast series. The series looks at the ideas, lives and historical context of the major philosophers as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition, with continuous coverage. University of Oxford Podcasts - Philosophy Hi-Phi Nation: A running show (~40 episodes so far) that weaves stories into big philosophical ideas. Philosophy Talk: Ken Taylor and John Perry create incredible podcasts on a wide range of philosophical questions. Useful to round out your grasp of philosophy.
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly
Cutting-edge news coverage and analysis of national and international events in the ever-changing religious world. This series examines religion’s role—and the ethical dimensions—behind top news headlines. [PBS]
The Stone (New York Times)
A blog featuring the writing of contemporary philosophers and other thinkers on issues both timely and timeless. Here's a sampling. Read the latest posts:
- What Would David Bowie Do?
- Are We the Cows of the Future?
- Time Isn’t Supposed to Last This Long
- A.I. and I
- Of Death and Consequences
A Few Video Clips
Philosophy and Your Reasoning description
The Importance of Philosophy in Today's World description
The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory in Clay description