Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy [online version]

Citation

Calvert, P. (2001), "Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy [online version]", Online Information Review, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 131-141. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2001.25.2.131.11

The print version of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy was hailed when it was first published in 1998. This online version should be equally well received because of the way in which it uses digitisation to enhance an already excellent print product.

All articles begin with a summary providing a concise view of the subject, which for some readers may be all that they need. Short articles are delivered on a single page. Longer articles (over 1,000 words) are divided into approachable sections, with the full list provided in a frame to the left of the screen showing the reader the scope of the article at a glance. Opening one of the sections in the online version requires a click on the section header in the frame, which can be a little irksome while browsing, but won’t seem at all bothersome once one is reading the article in full. It also makes it easy to print out a section. Within the text, certain words will be hot links, representing relevant cross‐references to follow.

Signpost articles provide a relatively simple introduction to a sub‐discipline or regional coverage within the Encyclopedia, providing a sort of map directing the reader to more detailed articles on the topic. An example is “Social sciences, philosophy of”, introducing the history of the topic, problems within the sub‐discipline, contemporary thought, and specific social sciences and their philosophical problems.

There are useful biographical entries emphasising the philosophical work rather than the life of the subject. There are many of these, ranging from the giants of philosophy to some whose relevance may appear to be rather ephemeral, yet still of interest to some students, e.g. John Henry Newman.

There are several different ways to search for information. In a reference work of this size the full text search view is not only powerful but also potentially confusing; hence it will be necessary for readers to follow the instructions carefully. The advanced search mode offers two different methods of searching; pattern search or Boolean search. Pattern searching looks for matches but extends beyond exact matches to retrieve terms similar in spelling to the one keyed in; for example, “nitsche” will retrieve “Nietzsche”. Boolean searches operate as one would expect, and includes an adjacency option, e.g. “feminism anarchism adj 20” will retrieve articles containing the two specific terms within 20 words of each other. An alternative, the expert search operates within pattern searches and allows the reader to select or exclude specific spelling variations, and to alter the weight of different words within the query. This requires the reader to work through an intermediate results box showing all the words in the query against which the weights can be set and one or more variations in spelling selected.

Equally useful are tools created for the Encyclopedia. The subject guides list all relevant articles under selected broad headings such as “epistemology” and “twentieth century”. For the first‐year undergraduate unfamiliar with the discipline, these could be an excellent place to start. In a way they are similar to pathfinder guides produced by librarians. Article titles illustrate all the problems familiar to librarians engaged in the organisation of knowledge, e.g. regional and historical treatments of a sub‐discipline are brought together by the use of inversion, as in “Political philosophy”, “Political philosophy, African” and “Political philosophy, history of”. Similarly, Confucian philosophy is brought together irrespective of its national treatment. If the reader is momentarily confused by “Confucian philosophy, Chinese” placing the article under a heading they did not anticipate, the use of the subject guides (in this case “Japanese, Chinese and Korean”) will help them resolve the search. Possibly one of the most useful search tools, and one that will be used a great deal by students, is the keyword in article title search that appears at the top of every page. This search, while not immediately retrieving large numbers of articles, still produces results that satisfy, e.g. a search on “information” retrieves just a few articles, but the use of cross‐references enables the reader to pearl‐grow from a manageable starting‐point.

One of the huge advantages held by an online reference tool is the editor’s ability to update the content and revise the format within a very short space of time. The online REP makes claim to numerous updating processes. One of these, quite sensibly, is the addition of articles that reflect new developments in philosophical scholarship. For example, the October 2000 additions include an article on “genetic modification”. New overview articles on philosophical sub‐disciplines will be added by Craig; there will be more subject guides reflecting courses currently being studied at undergraduate level, as well as more Web links; and quarterly reviews of sub‐disciplines will be added. The site design will be reviewed each year, and content in existing articles will be updated, as well as (very importantly) more bibliographical material added to articles as the relevant literature changes.

Pricing options for libraries vary according to institution size. New customers can choose between three‐year or one‐year subscriptions. Existing print or CD‐ROM customers receive a discounted price. As an example, the library of an academic institution with 20,000 students will pay £1,125 for a one‐year subscription.