Databases
The following are some of the top databases for Philosophy research. For a full list of databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z. Try limiting by Philosophy as a Subject.
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Religion and Philosophy Collection This link opens in a new window
Provides full text from more than 290 journals; covers world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy.
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PhilPapers This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive directory of online philosophy articles and books by academic philosophers. The service monitors journals in many areas of philosophy, as well as archives and personal pages. PhilPapers' purpose is to facilitate the exchange and development of philosophical research.
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PhilSci-Archive This link opens in a new windowAn electronic archive for preprints in the philosophy of science. It is offered as a free service to the philosophy of science community. The goal of the archive is to promote communication in the field by the rapid dissemination of new work.
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GenEthx: Genetics and Ethics Database This link opens in a new window
This collection contains 45,536 bibliographic citations for resources that cover ethical issues related to human genetics including research, biobanks, etc. It is a database created by the staff at the Bioethics Research Library of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.
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EthxWeb: Literature in Bioethics (1974-2009) This link opens in a new window
EthxWeb consolidates interdisciplinary bioethics material from 1974 to 2009. A useful resource for those interested in researching materials in an extensive range of bioethics topics, EthxWeb contains journal articles, book chapters, bills, laws, court decisions, reports, books, audiovisuals, and news articles. Dates of Coverage: 1974-2009
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JSTOR This link opens in a new windowScholarly journal archive for the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences; current issues (usually the last 2-5 years) are not digitized by JSTOR and may be obtained elsewhere.
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Arts & Humanities Citation Index (via Web of Science) This link opens in a new window
In the Web of Science Core Collection search function, limit your search to Editions > Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI). Indexing and abstracts of millions of peer-reviewed articles in the arts and humanities disciplines. Also includes book chapters, conference papers and other formats. Cited and citing reference searching.
As of Fall 2025, you will be redirected to the Web of Science Core Collections search. To search in the Arts & Humanities Citation Index, select Editions > Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI)--1975-present.
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Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary - good for nearly all subjects. Scholarly and trade journals, popular magazines, newspapers, conference proceedings, book reviews, and more.
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Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window
Index to journals, books and reference sources in all humanities disciplines, as well as selected original creative works including poems, fiction, photographs, and illustrations, with some content available full-text.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
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Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Designed to be an authoritative resource of reference content in a wide array of academic fields, including the humanities, social sciences, and science.
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Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowHundreds of dictionaries, general reference, language reference, and subject reference works from Oxford University Press.
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Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Provides concise introductions to a diverse range of subjects, written by experts in the field who combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make challenging topics highly readable. Subject categories include: Arts and Humanities, Law, Medicine and Health, Science and Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
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Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyA dynamic reference work which includes articles on people, concepts, books, and other topics in philosophy. All entries and updates are refereed by the members of an editorial board before they are made public.
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Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyThe Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization to provide open access to detailed, scholarly information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy.
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The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 0415324955Publication Date: 2005The Shorter REP presents the very best of the acclaimed ten-volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy in a single volume. It makes a selection of the most important entries available for the first time and covers all you need to know about philosophy, from Aristotle to Wittgenstein and animals and ethics to scientific method. -
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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Call Number: Main Library – B51 .R68 1998ISBN: 0415073103Publication Date: 1998Edited by Edward Craig, with the assistance of thirty specialist subject editors, this encyclopedia consists of ten volumes of the world's most eminent philosophers, writing for the needs of students and teachers of philosophy internationally. -
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780195338416Publication Date: 2010Offers a comprehensive view of African thought, covering the intellectual tradition on the continent and throughout the diaspora. All major trends in African philosophy, political theory, and religion will be covered, as well as significant historical figures and social movements. -
Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
ISBN: 9780028661377Publication Date: 2009Examines the philosophical and ethical issues underlying contemporary and historical environmental issues, policies, and debates. Covers concepts, institutions, topics, events and people, including global warming, animal rights, environmental movements, alternative energy, green chemistry, industrial ecology, and eco-sabotage.
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The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780198735304Publication Date: 2016Comprehensive and authoritative, it covers every aspect of philosophy from Aristotle to Zen. With clear and concise definitions, it provides lively and accessible coverage of not only Western philosophical traditions, but also themes from Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy. -
A Dictionary of Ethics
Call Number: EbookISBN: 0191835757Publication Date: 2020Contains clear, concise definitions of key terms from ethical theory and touches upon a variety of relevant subfields, including metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. -
A Dictionary of Logic
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 0191816809Publication Date: 2016Features entries primarily concentrating on technical terminology, the history of logic, the foundations of mathematics, and non-classical logic -
The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (3rd ed.)
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 1107643791Publication Date: 2015Contains approximately 5,000 entries ranging from short definitions to longer articles. It is designed to facilitate the understanding of philosophy at all levels and in all fields. -
Dictionary of World Philosophy
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Call Number: Ebook and printISBN: 0415179955Publication Date: 2001The Dictionary of World Philosophy covers the diverse and challenging terminology, concepts, schools, and traditions of the vast field of world philosophy. -
The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 1405106794Publication Date: 2004A concise reference to the history of western philosophy from ancient Greece to the present day, this dictionary spans major branches of western philosophical inquiry, and covers key figures. -
Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781441112385Publication Date: 2010Covering historical and contemporary figures, arguments, and terms, this dictionary offers an overview of the vital themes of philosophy of religion, including world religions and sources from east and west.
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The Oxford Companion to Philosophy
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 0199264791Publication Date: 2005Descriptions of major philosophers and philosophical movements from antiquity to the present, with a particular focus on thinkers considered important by those writing in English. -
The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy (2nd ed.)
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Call Number: Main Library – B21 .B56 2003ISBN: 0631219080Publication Date: 2003This fully revised and updated edition of Nicholas Bunnin and E.P. Tsui-James' popular introductory philosophy textbook brings together specially-commissioned chapters from a prestigious team of scholars writing on each of the key areas, figures and movements in philosophy.
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The Dictionary of Early American Philosophers
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780199797745Publication Date: 2012The Dictionary of Early American Philosophers, which contains over 450 entries by nearly 300 authors, provides an account of philosophical thought in the United States and Canada between 1600 and 1860. The label of 'philosopher' has been broadly applied in this Dictionary to intellectuals who have made philosophical contributions regardless of academic career or professional title. -
The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers
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Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780199754663Publication Date: 2013Both academic and non-academic modern (post-Civil War) philosophers are represented in this dictionary, as are a large number of female and minority thinkers whose work has been neglected. It includes those intellectuals involved in the development of psychology, pedagogy, sociology, anthropology, education, theology, political science, and several other fields, before these disciplines came to be considered distinct from philosophy in the late nineteenth century. Each entry contains a short biography of the writer, an exposition and analysis of his or her doctrines and ideas, a bibliography of writings, and suggestions for further reading. -
The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islamic Philosophy
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ISBN: 9780199754731Publication Date: 2010The biographical entries include all the major thinkers of Islamic philosophy since the foundation of the faith, as well as minor but significant figures, many of whom have not previously been profiled or described in English. Every major school of thought, from classical falasifa to Sufi mysticism, is represented, and entries range across time from the early years of the faith to the modern period.
Philosophy at Oberlin
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Philosophy Faculty PublicationsPublications of current and past faculty of the academic program in Philosophy, available through Oberlin's Digital Commons repository.