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PHILOSOPEDIA
- fə 'lä sə 'pē dē ə
- phi LOS ə PE di ə
- I didn't know about the Philosopedia, and have just taken a look at it - a great idea!
- Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 5 September 2007
- I didn't know about the Philosopedia, and have just taken a look at it - a great idea!
START HERE
You do not need to "log in" (which is only for Board members making entry changes).
To use PHILOSOPEDIA, the free online reference source for the philosophy-minded,
- type a subject (e.g., Pragmatism) or a name (e.g., Isaac Asimov) in the SEARCH rectangle to the left. Then click GO or SEARCH.
GO will take you straight to the subject or name that you typed.
SEARCH will show all references to the subject or name that you typed.
Click Who's Who in Hell and you will be directed to the 10,000 items already included in
- Warren Allen Smith's Who's Who in Hell, A Handbook and International Directory
- for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists
- (New York: Barricade Books, 2000, 1,248 pages, $125.00).
RANDOM PAGE, if clicked in the column on the left, will show updated articles.
- Click again and again and entry after entry will be shown.
SEE SOME EXAMPLES
MISSION
Philosopedia's mission is two-fold:
- 1. Philosopedia's major purpose is to provide a resource for those whose interest is "thinking about thinking," a phrase that is a basic definition of philosophy. In short, Philosopedia is a reference work about academic philosophy.
- The academic subject of philosophy comprises
- aesthetics,
- epistemology,
- ethics,
- logic, and
- metaphysics.
- The academic subject of philosophy comprises
- Terms relating to those five subjects will be found as will the names of noted individuals who have explained what the subjects have meant to them, resulting in wide differences of emphasis and opinion.
- 2. In addition, Philosopedia proposes being a primary source for finding names not only of the eminent but also of the not-so-well-known individuals whose philosophic viewpoints have been expressed over the centuries as well as to date.
Philosopedia encourages down-to-earth, easy readable material not often found in stodgy sources.
As a starter, as many as 10,000 listings from Warren Allen Smith's 1,237-page book about freethinkers and freethought, Who's Who in Hell, are included. They are brief biographies that, unlike what is found in most reference works, include homely information about philosophers' failures as well as successes starting as far back as Anaximenes (585 B.C.E. - 525 B.C.E), Confucius/Kongfu-zi (c. 571 - 479 B.C.E.), and Diagoras (c. 415 B.C.E.) - also included are individuals in the 21st century who are interested in philosophy or are now or have been employed as philosophers. Entries may include photos and sound recordings.
Needed: Professional philosophers are invited to rewrite, update, or add material.
To learn about the components of philosophy, see major source books such as
- Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (Robert Audi, General Editor, Cambridge);
- Columbia Encyclopedia (Paul Legassé, ed., Columbia University Press);
- Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Paul Edwards, ed, Macmillan and Free Press);
- Oxford Companion to Philosophy (Ted Honderich, ed, Oxford University Press);
- Inner circles of philosophy are categorized: Epistemology, Logic and Philosophical Logic, Metaphysics
- Outer circles of philosophy are categorized: Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science; and also Aesthetics, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosofphy of Religion, Political Philosophy and Social Philosophy
- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Routledge)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford).
Also, check Wikipedia entries. Philosopedia's mission is to provide Wikipedia-like information and also to include some of the more homely items of interest about philosophers and the subjects around which their world revolves or has revolved.
Philosopedia will include interviews with living philosophers as well as interviews by individuals who knew them well. Input is invited.
As to why philosophy was invented, in the immortal words of Robert Delford Brown,
- Religions were invented because no one could figure out how to make money from philosophy.
VOLUNTEERS
- An estimated 1,900 of the 10,000 items in the Smith book have been updated and are found immediately by clicking GO without going to SEARCH.
- Much work needs to be completed, and volunteers are invited not only to update old entries but also to contribute new ones. You can join in at the beginning of this huge venture by writing <info@philosopedia.org>.
HISTORY
Philosopedia commenced in October 2005. The name was coined by Peter Ross, the webmaster who also chose to use MediaWiki as the engine for this site, and was trademarked by Warren Allen Smith in December 2005. It started with the posting of Smith's Who's Who in Hell, A Handbook and International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists (NY: Barricade Books, 2000, $125.00), in which over 10,000 terms and names are listed.
TABLE OF ORGANIZATION
At its inception, Warren Allen Smith as the website owner solely governed Philosopedia's activities.
On 1 January 2008, the following began as members of the Board of Directors of Philosopedia:
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
- 1. Anyone anywhere may submit proposed material to be included on Philosopedia.
- 2. Submit entry to mailto:info@philosopedia.org.
- 3. No, changes are made only by a Board member or someone the Board authorizes. Anyone, however, may make remarks in the entires' DISCUSSION section.
SYMBOLS USED
At the ends of listings, alphabetical symbols such as CE, PE, and WAS indicate where documentaton will be found.
These are alphabetized by letter as well as by authors' last names Symbols Used.
CONTRIBUTORS
A complete list of contributions of any kind can be found by searching CONTRIBUTORS:
FINANCIALS
The present undertaking is gargantuan and involves expenses. However, financial contributions from listees will never be requested nor required.
Contributions to pay expenses to date can be made by sending a check to Warren Allen Smith, 31 Jane Street, New York, NY 10014. Contributors will be named (or listed as anonymous if requested) under the CONTRIBUTORS section, above.
It is possible that the Board of Directors will arrange for Philosopedia's becoming a non-profit foundation in order that contributions can be tax-deductible.
