The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophyis a concise reference to the whole history of Western philosophy, from ancient Greece to the present day. The Dictionary’s entries are written in a clear and direct style, which makes it easy for readers to engage with the central questions of philosophy, from epistemology to ethics, and from metaphysics to the philosophy of mathematics. The authors pay particular attention to terms that are crucial to contemporary debate.

A unique feature of the Dictionary is its use of a quotation to conclude each entry on philosophical terms. These quotations not only illustrate the philosophical issues involved, but also serve as signposts for further study. Queries and objections are included in many of the entries to encourage readers to be active and critical in their response.

"Its entries manage to avoid the obscurities of an exaggerated brevity without stretching themselves out as if seeking to embody whole miniature essays. In short it presents itself as a model of clarity and clarification." Alan Montefiore, Balliol College, Oxford

"The style is fresh and engaging, and it gives a broad and accurate picture of the Western philosophical tradition. It is a pleasure to browse in even if one is not looking for an answer to a particular question." David Pears

"The book makes for interesting browsing, and there is a lot of information to be found in it." Analytic Teaching

"People studying philosophy- at higher levels of school and college and lower levels of university- will find the coverage here highly satisfying. Value for money of the best kind." Reference Reviews

The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy is a concise reference to the whole history of western philosophy, from ancient Greece to the present day.

• Spans all the major branches of western philosophical inquiry, all of the key figures

• Explains the meaning and usage of each philosophical concept in a fresh and engaging style

• Each entry on philosophical terms concludes with an illustrative quotation from a significant philosopher, to enhance the reader’s understanding

• Entries on terms and individual philosophers are fully cross-referenced

• Co-written by the editor of the popular volume The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy(Second Edition, 2002)

Nicholas Bunninis Director of the Philosophy Project, Institute for Chinese Studies, University of Oxford. He is the co-editor of The Blackwell Companion to Philosophysecond edition (Blackwell, 2002) and of Contemporary Chinese Philosophy(Blackwell, 2002).

Jiyuan Yuis Associate Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Buffalo. He is the author of The Structureof Being in Aristotle(2003) and The Ethics of Confucius and Aristotle: Mirrors of Virtue (2007), and the co-editor of Rationality and Happiness: From the Ancients to the Early Medievals(2003).

Preface.

Dictionary.

References