Research Guides: Philosophy & Ethics: Philosophy

Finding Articles

Use databases to find academic articles to continue your research. Below are the most helpful databases for finding relevant articles on philosophy.

Academic Search Ultimate
Academic Search Ultimate offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.
JSTOR
An archive of important scholarly journals, eBooks and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Offers high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as originally published.
Project MUSE
Includes 400 scholarly journals in humanities, social sciences, and mathematics and over 50,000 ebooks primarily from university presses.
HeinOnline Alumni Access
UND School of Law alumni can receive access to HeinOnline's Law Journal Library. Contact the Law Library if you need an alternative accessibility plan.
Contact the Law Library if you need an alternative accessibility plan.
Historic American Newspapers: Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
US Newsstream (Proquest Newspapers)
Full text access to 600 U.S. newspapers, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

Good Starting Journals for Philosophy

The following are links to specific academic journals which are published and peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

The Philosophical Review
In continuous publication since 1892, the Philosophical Review has a long-standing reputation for excellence and has published many papers now considered classics in the field, such as W. V. O. Quine's “Two Dogmas of Empiricism,” Thomas Nagel's “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?,” and the early work of John Rawls. The journal aims to publish original scholarly work in all areas of analytic philosophy, with an emphasis on material of general interest to academic philosophers, and is one of the few journals in the discipline to publish book reviews.
The Monist: An International Quarterly Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry
In continuous publication since 1892, the Philosophical Review has a long-standing reputation for excellence and has published many papers now considered classics in the field, such as W. V. O. Quine's “Two Dogmas of Empiricism,” Thomas Nagel's “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?,” and the early work of John Rawls. The journal aims to publish original scholarly work in all areas of analytic philosophy, with an emphasis on material of general interest to academic philosophers, and is one of the few journals in the discipline to publish book reviews.
Journal of the History of Philosophy
Journal of the History of Philosophy (JHP) is an international journal that publishes articles, notes, discussions, and reviews about the history of Western philosophy, broadly conceived. JHP takes its mandate from a motion passed by the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in December 1957 approving "the establishment of a journal devoted to the history of philosophy." Each issue includes refereed articles on topics ranging from ancient and medieval to nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophy as well as book reviews. The Journal publishes material in English, German, and French.

In-Library Locations

Search the entire library catalog here.

Books on philosophy are generally located in these call numbers ranges on the fourth floor of the library.

B1-5802	Philosophy (General)
BC1-199	Logic
BD10-701	Speculative philosophy
BH1-301	Aesthetics
BD95-131	Metaphysics
BJ1-1725	Ethics
BD143-237	Epistemology. Theory of knowledge

Encyclopedias/Reference

Online Encyclopedias

The following links will take you to online encyclopedias and reference manuals to help you get started on your research. Here you can find general background information, definitions, and history on philosophy.

Big Ideas Simply Explained: The Philosophy Book
To the complete novice learning about philosophy can be daunting - The Philosophy Book changes all that. With the use of powerful and easy to follow images, succinct quotations, and explanations that are easily understandable, this book cuts through any misunderstandings to demystify the subject. Each chapter is organised chronologically, and covers not only the big ideas, but the philosophers who first voiced them, as well as cross-referencing with earlier and later ideas and thinkers. The Philosophy Book untangles knotty theories and sheds light on abstract concepts, and is perfect for anyone with a general interest in how our social, political, and ethical ideas are formed, as well as students of philosophy and politics.
Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
This is the leading, full-scale comprehensive dictionary of philosophical terms and thinkers to appear in English in more than half a century. Written by a team of more than 550 experts and now widely translated, it contains 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.
A Dictionary of Philosophical Logic
Introduces undergraduate and post-graduate students to the main problems and positions of philosophical logic. Elements include crucial figures, positions, terminology, and debates within philosophical logic as well as issues that pertain to related, overlapping disciplines, such as set theory and the philosophy of mathematics. Entries are extensively cross-referenced for identification within the context of wider debates.

Ethics: questions of morality of human actions (online)
The third edition covers topics of recent interest to readers in the twenty-first century, such as Heroic medicine, Gender identity, Wealth inequality, LGBTQ issues, Female genital mutilation, Informed consent, and Transgender care. This encyclopedic work includes more than 1,000 essays organized by broad categories related to ethics issues: animal rights, arts and censorship, bioethics, business and labor, children's rights, civil rights, environmental issues, human rights, international relations, legal and judicial issues, the media, the military, personal and social ethics, political and economic ethics, psychological ethics, race and ethnicity, religion, science and technology, sex and gender, theory, and wealth.

Print Reference

Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy

Incorporating cultural and religious contexts, this unique Encyclopedia provides a vital guide to the main concepts and thinkers in Asian philosophy - starting with Abhidharma and ending with Zurvan. The main philosophical trends and thinkers in each geographical area are featured, with an emphasis on endtemporary developments and movements. The A-Z structured encyclopedia emphasizes that Asian philosophy is not merely an ancient form of thought but that it is a living philosophy, with roots in the past, and also a potent and animate presence today. This translates into the reciprocal exchange of theories between Eastern and Western thinking, for example of new schools of thought such as orientalism. Requiring no prior knowledge of philosophy, religion or Asian cultures, this book is essential reading for students, teachers and the interested individual who wishes to gain an understanding of the philosophical basis to Asian cultural systems.

The Oxford Companion to Philosophy

This is the most authoritative and engaging philosophical reference work in English. It gives clear and reliable guidance to all areas of philosophy and to the ideas of all notable philosophers from antiquity to the present day. The scope of the volume is not limited to English-languagephilosophy: it surveys the foremost philosophy from all parts of the world.A distinguished international assembly of more than two hundred contributors provide almost 2,000 alphabetically arranged entries which are not only instructive but also entertaining: they combine learning, lucidity, elegance, and wit.

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

This best-selling dictionary is written by one of the most famous philosophers of our time, and it is widely recognized as the best dictionary of its kind. Comprehensive 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. Entries include over 500 biographies of famous and influential philosophers, in-depth analysis of philosophical terms and concepts, and a chronology of philosophical events stretching from 10,000 BC to the present day. The first edition of this dictionary became a market-leader and a standard work of reference, selling over 100,000 copies. Now the author, Professor Simon Blackburn, has revised it to include web links which provide up-to-date and valuable extra information via the Dictionary of Philosophy companion website. Fully cross-referenced and containing over 3,000 alphabetical entries, it is the ideal introduction to philosophy for anyone with an interest in the subject, and it is an indispensable work of reference for students and teachers.

Historical Dictionary of Existentialism

Existentialism is the philosophy of human existence, which flourished first in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s and then in France in the decade following the end of World War II. The operative meaning of existentialism here is thus broader than it was circa 1945 when the term first gained currency in France as a label for the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre. However, it is considerably less broad than the view proposed by commentators in the 1950s and 1960s who, in an attempt to overcome Sartre's hegemony, discovered the seeds of existentialism far and wide: in Shakespeare, Saint

American Philosophy: an Encyclopedia

The Encyclopedia of American Philosophy provides coverage of the major figures, concepts, historical periods and traditions in American philosophical thought. Containing over 600 entries written by scholars who are experts in the field, this Encyclopedia is the first of its kind. It is a scholarly reference work that is accessible to the ordinary reader by explaining complex ideas in simple terms and providing ample cross-references to facilitate further study.nbsp;The Encyclopedia of American Philosophy contains a thorough analytical index and will serve as a standard, comprehensive reference work for universities and colleges. Topics covered include: Great philosophers: Emerson, Dewey, James, Royce, Peirce, Santayana Subjects: Pragmatism, Progress, the Future, Knowledge, Democracy, Growth, Truth Influences on American Philosophy: Hegel, Aristotle, Plato, British Enlightenment, Reformation Self-Assessments: Joe Margolis, Donald Davidson, Susan Haack, Peter Hare, John McDermott, Stanley Cavell Ethics: Value, Pleasure, Happiness, Duty, Judgment, Growth Political Philosophy: Declaration of Independence, Democracy, Freedom, Liberalism, Community, Identity nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;

Internet Resources

Online texts, sites, and sources on various philosophy topics.

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.
Philpapers
Index and Bibliography of philosophy scholars and scholarship