Philosophy Resources at Yale University Library

Brugger, Walter. Philosophisches Wörterbuch. 13. Aufl. Freiburg: Herder, 1967. (Mensch, Welt, Gott; ein Aufbau der Philosophie in Einzeldarstellung, Erganzungsbd.).: Call number: SML, Reference, B43 B78 1967 (LC)Contains signed articles on philosophical, theological, and related terms, concepts, and movements, particularly emphasizing Christian concerns. Includes an outline of the history of philosophy from ancient times to the present day.
Brugger, Walter and Kenneth Baker. Philosophical dictionary. Spokane: Gonzaga University Press, 1972.: Call number: SML, Reference, B43 B7813; A translation of Walter Burgger's Philosophisches Wörterbuch (see no. 9) for American readers. Some articles from the original have been omitted and others in areas of interest to Anglo-American philosophers added. The bibliographies and outline of the history of philosophy included in the original have also been omitted. Here too the emphasis in on Christian, and particularly Catholic, thought.
The Cambridge dictionary of philosophy. General editor, Robert Audi. New York : Cambridge University Press, 1995.: Call number: SML, Reference, B41 C35X 1995Also: Divinity, Trowbridge Reading Room, B41 C35 1995; An up-to-date, comprehensive dictionary of philosophical terms, concepts and movements. Includes brief biographies of major (and not so major) philosophers. Signed entries.
Eisler, Rudolf. Wörterbuch der Philosophischen Begriffe. 4. völlig neubearbeitete Aufl. Berlin: Mittler, 1927-30. 3v.: Call number: SML, Reference, B43 E383 1927 (LC)Scholarly articles on philosophical terms and concepts give full definitions and detailed documentation of their use by philosophers. Bibliographical references are given in the articles themselves, and at the end of vol. 3 is a bibliography of writings arranged alphabetically by author. Intended for the specialist, rather than for the general reader.
Foulquie, Paul. Dictionnaire de la langue philosophique. 2nd ed. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1969.: Call number: SML, Reference, B42 F68 1969; More for the general reader and less specialized and scholarly than Lalande's work (see below). Besides philosophical terms and concepts, coverage includes the vocabulary of related fields. Entries provide brief definitions of terms in various contexts, and are accompanied by quotations from philosophers to illustrate and support the definitions. Entries for related terms are sometimes grouped under the entry for one genetic term: e.q., "entite," "essence," "existentialisme," and others are listed in the entry under "etre." Full bibliographic information for works quoted in the text is given at the end of the book.
Grimes, John A. A concise dictionary of Indian philosophy : Sanskrit terms defined in English. Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, c1989.: Call number: SML, Reference, B131 G67 1989 (LC); Also: Divinity, Stacks, B131 G67 1989 (LC); An "introduction to the basic terms found in the major schools of Indian philosophy." (Preface) Headwords, printed in Sanskrit and in transliteration, are listed in alphabetical order with literal translations and, when necessary, further explanations of usage in various philosophical systems or schools. Includes transliteration and pronunciation guides, an index of major terms, and a useful series of charts depicting the relationships of works, concepts, and categories of individual schools.
Hoffmeister, Johannes. Wörterbuch der philosophischen Begriffe. 2. Aufl. Hamburg: Meiner, 1955.: Call number: SML, Reference, B43 H64 1955 (LC); Short, concise articles on philosophical terms and concepts, including some terms from related fields such as psychology. Briefly gives meaning, etymology, and historical development of terms, as well as some reference to their use by philosophers. Cross-references to related terms in this dictionary are preceded by a small star. Some articles include a selected bibliography. Abbreviations are listed at the end of the book.
Lalande, Andre. Vocabulaire technique et critique de la philosophie. 16th ed. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1968.: Call number: SML, Reference, B42 L35 1968 (LC); Lastest revision of a work which first appeared in parts in the Bulletin de la Société Française de Philosophie, 1902-23. Contains definitions of terms, with examples of use of philosophers and bibliographic notes, etymologies and equivalents in German, English, and Italian. The best French dictionary of philosophy.
Micraelius, Johann. Lexicon philosphicum terminorum philosphis usitatorum. (Reprint of Stettin, 1662 ed.) Dusseldorf: Stern-Verlag Janssen, 1966. (Instrumenta philosophica. Series lexica, 1).: Call number: SML, Stacks, Yale Classification, K55 M52 1662A; Contains Latin definitions of Latin philosophical terms as used by philosophers in the late Middle Ages, but unfortunately does not provide examples of usage. Has a systematic index and an index of Greek terms included in the definitions.
Peters, Francis Edwards. Greek philosophical terms; a historical lexicon. New York: New York University Press, 1967.: Call number: SML, Reference, B49 P47 (LC); "Not . . . the usual chronological and historical approach . . ., but rather from the direction of the problematic as revealed by a consecutive treatment of some of the basic concepts." (Preface). Intended for the intermediate student of Greek philosophy rather than for the beginner or the advanced scholar. Cross-references are liberally used throughout, as are textual citations to the philosophers. English-Greek index.
Philosophisches Wörterbuch. Edited by George Kalus and Manfred Buhr. 6. Aufl. Berlin: Das Europaische Buch, 1969.: Call number: SML, Reference, B43 P45 1969; Emphasis is on material relevant to the study of Marxist-Leninist philosphy; this viewpoint is reflected in the articles. No biographical entries, although there is an index to persons cited in the text. Lacks bibliographies.
Ritter, Joachim. Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie. Basel: Schwabe, 1971-1992.

Call number: SML, Reference, B42 +R57

Planned to be a revised and enlarged edition of Eisler's Worterbuch (see above); will run to eight volumes plus an index. Contains lengthy, signed articles on concepts, terminology, and schools of thought. No biographical articles; does contain bibliographies. Articles outline the historical development and discuss the uses of their terms and concepts.

Rozental, Mark M. and Pavel Yudin. A dictionary of philosophy. Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1967.

Call number: SML, Reference, B48 R9 R6913 (LC)An English translation of Filosofskii slovar (Moscow, 1963); emphasizes the Marxist point of view, with articles on philosophical terms, individual philosophers, and schools of philosophy. Only briefly mentions usage by individual philosophers in the articles on terms, but always gives their meaning in the context of Marxist teaching. No bibliographies. Glossary of foreign words and phrases.

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This file last modified: August 28, 2007