RCL: Subjects
PHILOSOPHY The selections in Philosophy reflect primarily material that is classified by Library of Congress as belonging to Philosophy (i.e., has the classification "B", "BC", "BD", "BH" or "BJ" in the LC classification system). Some selections, however, were also made in "non-Philosophy" categories that involve philosophically oriented subjects of an interdisciplinary nature. The taxonomy approaches the subject hierarchically starting with broad categories. Under "General Philosophy" are included Reference works--dictionaries, encyclopedias, yearbooks, handbooks, bibliographies and databases--dealing with the discipline as a whole, as well as books that discuss the general nature of philosophy. The historical perspective, presented under "History of Philosophy", includes Ancient Eastern Philosophy, Ancient Western Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Renaissance Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy. (Modern Philosophy is approached more extensively under "Philosophy by Country".) The "Philosophy by Country" category emphasizes western civilization but includes material on Asian Philosophy and African Philosophy. The section on "Divisions of Philosophy" includes the major divisions that are typically taught in undergraduate courses. Under "Philosophical Schools and Doctrines" are the major -isms and philosophical schools to which undergraduates are exposed. The more recent editions, translations and commentaries of the major philosophers were generally preferred, but older editions were also included that are still widely used. Many of the selections would be read by Philosophy majors, but many would also be appropriate at the introductory level. In general, the Philosophy section avoids textbooks but includes a fair number of general surveys, such as those in the "Cambridge Companions to Philosophy," "Blackwell Philosophy Guides," and the "Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks" series. The selection of electronic resources was generally limited to ebooks in which the print format was unavailable and basic philosophical reference sources such as Philosopher's Index and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. For cost considerations I did not recommend the electronic versions of the Gale/MacMillan Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd ed., or the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, but I assume the better endowed undergraduate colleges will afford one or the other of those encyclopedias in electronic form. I also included some basic web resources. Return to Subject List