Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers features thousands of critical biographical entries on individuals who have contributed to the history of modern thought and philosophy. Each entry includes a comprehensive overview of a subject’s life, work, and reception together with a bibliography and list of further reading.

The resource covers thinkers from across the globe, including Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, North America, the Middle East and India. Our time period focuses on the seventeenth to the twentieth century. 

What makes our encyclopedia different is that as well as being purely biographical, entries on philosophers are not the only entries you will find. We have entries on individuals who have contributed to the development of modern American and European philosophy, but are usually overlooked because they are female or working in a profession omitted from studies of philosophy.

Alongside the giants of philosophy you will encounter people from other intellectual domains: civil rights activists, classicists, clergymen, economists, mathematicians, novelists, poets, politicians and scientists who had something to say on topics that count as philosophical.

In addition to purchasing the full collection, customers can also purchase two smaller thematic bundles: British and North American Philosophers, 1623 to 2000 (6,197 articles), and French, German, Dutch and Irish Philosophers, 1700 to 2000 (1,905 articles). 

Content highlights:

• More than 8,300 peer-reviewed entries on figures who have made a contribution to the history of thought and philosophy.
• Includes thinkers from North America, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Middle East
  
• Entries include a comprehensive overview of a subject’s life, work, and reception together with a bibliography and list of further reading
  
• Covers thinkers from economics, sciences, classics, political thought, philosophy, theology, literature, law, and medicine
• Over 15,000 inter-article cross-references
• A glossary of Islamic terms

Is the content included in Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers available online anywhere else?
A limited number of dictionaries on Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers have been available through Oxford Reference Online. These include The Biographical Dictionary of American Economists, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Islamic Philosophy, The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, and The Biographical Dictionary of British Economists. All entries in the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers are fully-indexed exclusively for the resource and can be cross-searched with other related content on the site.

How regularly will the resource be updated?
There are no plans to update Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers with content beyond 2021.

Who is the resource for?
Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers is an invaluable resource for students, scholars and researchers studying philosophy. The materials covered are also highly relevant to related disciplines such as the history and philosophy of science, history, theology, religious studies, anthropology, and the history of economics.