Philosophy Research Guide: Books and eBooks

"What makes one person full of integrity and another a scoundrel? CONDUCT AND CHARACTER: READINGS IN MORAL THEORY uses fascinating and easy-to-follow selections from the world's best philosophers to present basic ethical theory in a way you can understand. And because it has writings from both sides of an issue, you'll get the whole story."

"Significantly revised in this third edition, Environmental What Really Matters, What Really Works examines morality from an environmental perspective. Featuring accessible selections from classic articles to examples of cutting edge original research it addresses both theory and practice."

"Since its initial publication in 1990, this book has become a key work of contemporary feminist theory, and an essential work for anyone interested in the study of gender, queer theory, or the politics of sexuality in culture. This is the text where the author began to advance the ideas that would go on to take life as "performativity theory," as well as some of the first articulations of the possibility for subversive gender practices. Overall, this book offers a powerful critique of heteronormativity and of the function of gender in the modern world."

"Dostoevsky's classic pitting one man against society. Widely considered to be the first existential novella, Notes from Underground presents the diary of a bitter, misanthropic man. The unnamed narrator has, in an act of supreme defiance, withdrawn from society completely. Formerly a civil servant, this 'sick' and 'wicked' man suffers from incurable ennui and forsakes all interaction. Rallying against what he perceives as human evils, like war, love, and utopianism, he exiles himself from all humanity in favor of exalted loneliness and suffering. Readers bear witness to the friends, lovers, and crippling social pressures of nineteenth-century Russia that made him this way."

"Soon after its publication, Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy was hailed as the favorite to become "the 'standard' text for survey courses in ancient philosophy."* More than twenty years later that prediction has been borne out: Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy still stands as the leading anthology of its kind. It is now stronger than ever."

"Now in a new edition, this anthology provides an introduction to a wide variety of views on human nature. Drawing from diverse cultures over three millennia, Leslie Stevenson has chosen selections ranging from ancient religious texts to contemporary theories based on evolutionary science."

Over six previous editions, Twelve Theories of Human Nature has been a remarkably popular introduction to some of the most influential developments in Western and Eastern thought. Now titled Thirteen Theories of Human Nature, the seventh edition adds a chapter on feminist theory to those on Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, Islam, Kant, Marx, Freud, Sartre, and Darwinism.

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra is one of Nietzsche's greatest books, a cross-over text that combines philosophical innovation with literary experimentation. With Zarathustra Nietzsche has attempted a redefinition of the form-content correlation in philosophical writing and as such the text is considered an experiment in philosophical style. It therefore represents a large hurdle for undergraduate students."

"This is an encyclopedic dictionary of close to 400 important philosophical, literary, and political terms and concepts that defy easy--or any--translation from one language and culture to another. Drawn from more than a dozen languages, terms such asDasein(German),pravda(Russian),saudade(Portuguese), andstato(Italian) are thoroughly examined in all their cross-linguistic and cross-cultural complexities."

"Research on medieval philosophy has advanced greatly in the last thirty years, but there has not been a comprehensive encyclopedia summarizing the current research available. This two-volume reference work fills that void. The Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy covers all areas of philosophy in the Middle Ages and part of the Renaissance, ranging from 500 to 1500 CE."