Philosophy Graduate Student Portfolio Papers Guide

Editions

• Curd, Patricia, editor, and Richard D. McKirahan, translator. A Presocratics Reader. Hackett, 1996.
  • Emory Libraries own only the second edition.

The above volume is the one specified by the graduate student handbook. No edition is specified, and the list of figures differs slightly from the first to the second edition. The figures and texts included in the second edition are as follows:

• The Milesians
  • Thales
  • Anaximander
  • Anaximenes
• Pythagoras (and early Pythagoreanism)
• Xenophanes
• Heraclitus
• Parmenides​
• Zeno
• Empedocles
• Anaxagoras
• Leucippus and Democritus
• Melissus
• Philolaus
• Diogenes
• The Sophists
  • Protagoras
  • Gorgias
  • Prodicus
  • Hippias
  • Antiphon
• The Derveni Papyrus

For alternate translations, it may also be helpful to consult the following editions:

• Barnes, Jonathan. Early Greek Philosophy. 2nd revised ed., Penguin, 2001.
• Waterfield, Robin. The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists. Oxford University Press, 2000.
  • Also contains a short bibliography for further reading.

For the Greek, consult the following volumes:

• Diels, Hermann, and W. Kranz. Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. 8th ed. Rowohlt, 1957.
  • The standard edition of the Presocratic fragments and testimonies.
  • Also available from the Internet Archive.
• Graham, Daniel W. The Texts of Early Greek Philosophy: The Complete Fragments and Selected Testimonies of the Major Presocratics. Cambridge University Press, 2010. 2 vols.
  • Gathers the Presocratic fragments and testimonies together with English translations and brief commentaries.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry​
• Fragments des Présocratiques
  • In French (with an English option); thoroughly covers sources for the Presocratics.

​Bibliographies:

• McKirahan, Richard D. "Collections Containing Articles on Presocratic Philosophy." Pomona Faculty Publications and Research, Paper 93, 2013.
  • ​An article detailing a large number of collections of articles on Presocratic philosophy. Also has updated versions as additional files.
• Oxford Bibliographies Online - Presocratic Philosophy
• ​Paquet, L., M. Roussel, and Y. Lafrance. Les Présocratiques: Bibliographie Analytique. Bellarmin, 1988–1995. 3 vols. 
  • ​Although slightly dated at this point, a useful bibliography that includes summaries of a large number of books and articles.

Works on the Presocratics:

• Barnes, Jonathan. The Presocratic Philosophers. Routledge, 1982.
  • A classic work by a major scholar in Greek thought.
• Furley, David, and Reginald Allen, editors. Studies in Presocratic Philosophy, vol. 1: The Beginnings of Philosophy. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
  • A fairly classic collection of essays from a number of leading scholars that focuses more on later Presocratic thinkers.
• Guthrie, W. K. C.. A History of Greek Philosophy, Vol. 1: Earlier Presocratics and Pythagoreans. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
• Guthrie, W. K. C.. A History of Greek Philosophy, Vol. 2: The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus. Cambridge University Press, 1965.
  • Volumes 1 and 2 cover various Presocratic philosophers in depth. Volume one covers Thales through Heraclitus; volume 2 covers Parmenides through Democritus.
• Kirk, G. S., J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield. The Presocratic Philosophers. Cambridge University Press, 1983.
  • A commonly-read overview of the Presocratics that attempts situates their projects as attempts to explain nature.
• Long, A. A., editor.  The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
  • A collection of essays from a number of Presocratic scholars. Covers a wide variety of topics.
• McKirahan, Richard D. Philosophy Before Socrates: An Introduction with Texts and Commentaries. Hackett, 1994.
  • A good introduction to the context, themes, and milieu of Presocratic thought.
• Taylor, C. C. W., editor. The Routledge History of Philosophy, vol. 1: From the Beginnings to Plato. Routledge, 1997.
  • Another collection of essays from various scholars on major Presocratic figures.
• Warren, James. Presocratics: Natural Philosophers before Socrates. Acumen, 2007.
  • A useful overview of major interpretations (including conflicting ones) on a number of the Presocratics.

Editions

The above volume, Cooper's Complete Works, is generally regarded as the standard English translation of Plato's works. Individual dialogues within this volume are not all translated by the same translator(s). The table of contents, which specifies which translator worked on each dialogue, can be found at Hackett's site here: https://www.hackettpublishing.com/philosophy/complete-works.

For those who do not understand Ancient Greek, the Clarendon series of translations may be helpful.  These volumes, in addition to offering translations of the dialogues, are accompanied by extensive commentary from a scholar well-versed in the subtleties of the Ancient Greek language. Click here to see which of these volumes are available in Emory's collection.

For the original Greek, there are multiple options available.

1. The Oxford Classical Texts Plato Opera (Works). Published by Oxford University Press, these are generally considered to be the standard editions of Plato's works in Greek.
2. The Perseus Digital Library at Tufts. The Perseus Library houses an extensive collection of historical texts, including Greco-Roman authors. The full list of Greco-Roman authors (including Plato) can be found here: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collection?collection=Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman. Helpfully, Perseus also includes a search engine, various historical out-of-copyright translations, and a vocabulary tool. You can also click on individual words in the Greek to bring up options to find that term elsewhere and to see its definitions in dictionaries like the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon.
3. The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG). The TLG is digital collection focused specifically on Greek works, from Homer onwards.
4. The Loeb Classical Library Collection. The Loeb editions helpfully have the English translation with the Greek en face. Loeb editions are not all shelved together in the collection, but can nevertheless (usually) be easily spotted by their signature green covers. Click here to see the list of Loeb Plato titles in Emory's collection.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry (Note: 2 versions)
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• Plato and His Dialogues
  • Contains extensive information on Plato and the dialogues in multiple languages; includes English translations and Greek text.

Bibliographies:

• Oxford Bibliographies Page
• International Plato Society's Bibliography
  • Covers relatively recent publications (2000 onward)
• Pythia
  • Site is in French, although there is an English option (in the upper right corner). Has an extremely extensive database of scholarship on Plato, though you will need to register to access it.
• The Platonic Textual Tradition - A Bibliography
  • A bibliography that focuses specifically on the tradition of reading Platonic texts.

Works on Plato:

• ​Allen, Reginald E., editor. Studies in Plato’s Metaphysics. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1965.
  • A collection of early influential papers on Plato's metaphysics.
• Fine, Gail, editor. The Oxford Handbook of Plato. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2019.
  • ​A large collection of articles on various topics in Plato.
• Fine, Gail, editor. Plato 1, Metaphysics and Epistemology. Oxford University Press, 1999.
• Fine, Gail, editor. Plato 2, Ethics, Politics, Religion, and the Soul. Oxford University Press, 1999. 
  • A two-volume collection of articles on a wide range of topics.
• Guthrie, W. K. C. A History of Greek Philosophy: Plato: The Man and His Dialogues, Vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, 1975.
• Guthrie, W. K. C. A History of Greek Philosophy: The Later Plato and the Academy, Vol. 5.  Cambridge University Press, 1978.
  • A fairly standard and influential reading of Plato.
• Irwin, Terence. Plato’s Moral Theory: The Early and Middle Dialogues. Clarendon, 1977.
  • A somewhat contested but still commonly-read view of Plato's ethics from a somewhat Kantian perspective.
• Kraut, Richard, editor. The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992.
  • A more analytic approach to reading the dialogues, focusing more on the arguments within the works.
• Nails, Debra. The People of Plato: A Prosopography of Plato and Other Socratics. Hackett, 2002.
  • A guide to the various characters that appear throughout the Platonic dialogues.
• Vlastos, Gregory. Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher. Cambridge University Press, 1991.
  • A classic interpretation of the character of Socrates and the role of irony.

Editions

The above volume, Barnes' Complete Works, is generally regarded as the standard English translation of Aristotle's works. Individual books within this volume are not all translated by the same translator(s).

For the original Greek, the safe choice for the standard edition is Bekker:

• Bekker, Immanuel, editor. Aristotelis Opera. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1960.

You can also view scans of the original 1831 Bekker edition online here:

• https://archive.org/details/aristotelisopera01arisrich

Because the manuscripts of Aristotle's works went through so many historical editorships, organizations, editions, etc., other editions besides Bekker's are sometimes used, although all should have reference to the standard "Bekker numbers." The standard editions for the portfolio texts are as follows (click the links to see the item in Emory's collection):

• De Anima - Ross, W. D., editor. Aristotelis De Anima. Clarendon, 1956.
• Metaphysics (two editions):
  • Ross, W. D., editor. Aristotle’s Metaphysics: A Revised Text with Introduction and Commentary. Clarendon, 1924.
  • Jaeger, W., editor. Aristotelis Metaphysica. Clarendon, 1957.
• Nicomachean Ethics - Bywater, I., editor. Ethica Nicomachea. By Aristotle. Oxford: Clarendon, 1894.
• Politics - Dreizehnter, Alois. Aristoteles’ Politik. Wilhelm Fink, 1970.
• Poetics - Kassel, R., editor. Aristotelis De Arte Poetica Liber. Oxford: Clarendon, 1965.

You may also find it helpful to consult the Aristoteles Latinus database, which includes the complete corpus of medieval Greek-Latin translations of Aristotle's works.

Other options for reading Aristotle's works in Greek include:

1. The Perseus Digital Library at Tufts. The Perseus Library houses an extensive collection of historical texts, including Greco-Roman authors. The full list of Greco-Roman authors (including Aristotle) can be found here: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collection?collection=Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman. Helpfully, Perseus also includes a search engine, various historical out-of-copyright translations, and a vocabulary tool. You can also click on individual words in the Greek to bring up options to find that term elsewhere and to see its definitions in dictionaries like the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon.
2. The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG). The TLG is digital collection focused specifically on Greek works, from Homer onwards.
3. The Loeb Classical Library Collection. The Loeb editions helpfully have the English translation with the Greek en face. Loeb editions are not all shelved together in the collection, but can nevertheless (usually) be easily spotted by their signature green covers. Click here to see the list of Loeb Aristotle titles in Emory's collection.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• ​Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry

Bibliographies:

• Ancient Commentators on Aristotle
  • An extensive project that presents information on commentaries from the Ancient period on Aristotle's works.
• Articles on Aristotle
  • A bibliography of articles published on Aristotle within the last ~50 years (page last updated in 2007).
• Barnes, Jonathan, Malcolm Schofield, and Richard Sorabji, editors. Aristotle: A Selective Bibliography. Oxford: Univ. of Oxford Sub-Faculty of Philosophy, 1981.
  • An "only the essentials"-type bibliography that helps introduce the reader to major works on Aristotle corpus as a whole.

General Works on Aristotle:

Items in Bold are available via online access from Emory's collections.

• Barnes, Jonathan, Malcolm Schofield, and Richard Sorabji, editors. Articles on Aristotle. Duckworth, 1979.
  • A collection of some major 20th century papers on various aspects of Aristotle's thought.
• Gill, Mary Louise. "Aristotle’s Metaphysics Reconsidered." Journal of the History of Philosophy vol. 43, no. 3, 2005, pp. 223–241.
  • A helpful introductory essay on major trends in recent (2005) Aristotle scholarship.
• Jaeger, Werner. Aristotle: The Fundamentals of the History of His Development. Translated by Richard Robinson. 2nd ed., Clarendon, 1960.
  • An extremely influential book in Aristotle scholarship that argues for a developmental narrative of Aristotle's thought.
• Shields, Christopher. The Oxford Handbook on Aristotle. Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • A collection of articles that focus on fairly specific topics within Aristotle's thought.

Literature on Specific Works

• De Anima
  • ​Nussbaum, Martha C., and Amélie Oksenberg Rorty, editors. Essays on Aristotle’s De Anima. Clarendon, 1995.
• Metaphysics
  • Kirwan, Christopher, editor and translator. Aristotle’s Metaphysics: Books Γ, Δ, and Ε. Clarendon, 1993.
  • Politis, Vasilis. The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Aristotle and the Metaphysics. Routledge, 2004.
  • Reeve, C. D. C. Substantial Knowledge: Aristotle’s Metaphysics. Hackett, 2000.
• Nicomachean Ethics
  • Barnes, Jonathan, Malcolm Schofield, and Richard Sorabji, editors. Articles on Aristotle: Ethics and Politics. Vol. 2, Duckworth, 1977.
  • Broadie, Sarah. Ethics with Aristotle. Oxford University Press, 1991.
  • Hardie, W. F. R. Aristotle’s Ethical Theory. 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon, 1980.
• Politics
  • Kraut, Richard, and Skultety, Steven. Aristotle’s Politics: Critical Essays. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
  • ​Miller, Fred D., Jr. Nature, Justice, and Rights in Aristotle’s Politics. Oxford University Press, 1995.
  • Rowe, Christopher, and Malcolm Schofield, editors. The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Poetics
  • ​Halliwell, Stephen. Aristotle’s Poetics. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
  • Rorty, Amélie, editor. Essays on Aristotle’s Poetics. Princeton University Press, 1992.

The Cambridge Critical Guide series has a number of volumes on works by Aristotle. You can see which of these guides are available in Emory's collection by clicking here.

Editions

Although there is no universally-accepted standard translation of the Meditations into English, Farquharson's translation is commonly cited, although it is a slightly older translation (originally 1944). More recent translations that are also used by scholars include the Hammond (2006) and Hard (2011).

Because of the unusual history of the Meditations (it was not published until 1558, despite being written probably in the last years of Aurelius' life, from roughly 161-180 CE), even "standard editions" of the Meditations in the original Greek are disputed. Nevertheless, the following texts are helpful to consult when considering what Aurelius wrote:

• ​​​​Dalfen, Joachim. Marci Aurelii Antonini Ad se ipsum libri XII. Leipzig: Teubner, 1987.

  • At present, the closest thing to a critical edition of the Meditations.

• van den Hout, Michael P. J., editors. M. Cornelii Frontonis Epistulae. Leipzig: Teubner, 1988.

  • The standard source for Aurelius's correspondence with his tutor, Fronto.

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry

Bibliographies:

• Oxford Bibliographies Page

Secondary Literature:

• Brunt, P. A. “Marcus Aurelius in His Meditations.” Journal of Roman Studies vol. 64, 1974, pp. 1–20.
  • A classic intro and overview to the Meditations.
• Hadot, Pierre. The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Harvard Univeristy Press, 1998.
  • An influential reading that examines the Meditations as a work aiming at self-transformation.
• Rutherford, R. B. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius : a Study. Oxford University Press, 1989.
  • A work that focuses more on the literary quality of the Meditations and the implications of that style.
• van Ackeren, Marcel, editor. A Companion to Marcus Aurelius. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
  • A large collection of essays on a variety of topics in the Meditations.

Editions

(*Note: some editions render the title as "Outlines of Pyrrhonism," or "Pyrrhonian Outlines" (PH) rather than "Outlines of Skepticism")

The Bury translation, above, is generally taken as the standard translation of Sextus's works. However, the translation is quite old (1933), a bit dated, and contains a few inaccuracies in its translation. As a result, occasionally the following more recent translations are used:

• Annas, Julia, and Jonathan Barnes, translators. Outlines of Scepticism. By Sextus Empiricus, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Mates, Benson, translator. The Skeptic Way: Sextus Empiricus’s Outlines of Pyrrhonism. Oxford University Press, 1996.

For the original Greek, Mutschmann is the standard edition:

• Mutschmann, Hermann, Jürgen Mau, and Karel Janáček. Sexti Empirici Opera. Leipzig: Teubner, 1912–1962. 4 vols.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• ​Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry

Bibliographies:

• Bibliography on Skepticism

Works on Sextus & Skepticism:

• Burnyeat, Myles, and Michael Frede. The Original Sceptics : a Controversy. Hackett, 1997.
  • Focuses especially on a debate between the two editors on the role and scope of belief in PH.
• Eichorn, Roger E. 2014. “How (not) to read Sextus Empiricus.” Ancient Philosophy, vol. 34, pp. 121–149.
  • ​Addresses common misconceptions and misreadings of Sextus.
• Floridi, Luciano. Sextus Empiricus: The Transmission and Recovery of Pyrrhonism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
  • More historical, but sets up the context for Sextus's writings from late antiquity to the 17th century.
• Hankinson, R. J. The Sceptics. Routledge, 1995.
  • A general survey of the skeptics: their history, goals, and tradition. The second portion of the work focuses primarily on Sextus.
• Perin, Casey. The Demands of Reason: An Essay on Pyrrhonian Scepticism. Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • Though this covers works of Sextus's besides the Outlines, it nevertheless takes PH as a central text.
• Popkin, Richard H. The History of Scepticism: From Savonarola to Bayle. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • A broader work than just Sextus, Popkin surveys the history of skepticism while attending to its connection with Modern philosophy.
• ​Williams, M. 1988. “Scepticism Without Theory.” Review of Metaphysics, vol. 41, no. 3, 1988, pp. 547–588.
  • ​An influential paper that argues Sextus's work is primarily practical, not theoretical.

Editions

The above translation by Armstrong is generally considered to be the best available English translation; older translations of Plotinus suffer from not having access to the complete critical edition, which was not published until 1973. MacKenna's translation is one such case (translated in 1969), although it contains numerous notes on translation and correction that may be helpful to consult:

• MacKenna, S., editor. The Enneads. By Plotinus, Revised by B. S. Page, 4th ed., London, Faber and Faber, 1969.

The standard edition of the Greek is the Henry and Schwyzer volumes:

• Plotinus. Plotini Opera. Edited by Paul Henry and Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer.  Paris, De Brouwer, 1951–1973. 3 vols.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry 
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry

Bibliographies:

• Dufour, Richard. Plotinus: A Bibliography 1950–2000. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
• Online Plotinian Bibliography
  • A continuation of the Dufour volume; available in French and English

Works on Plotinus and Neoplatonism:

• Bréhier, Émile. The Philosophy of Plotinus. Translated by Joseph Thomas. Chicago, Henry Regnery, 1951.
  • A classic, though perhaps slightly dated, overview of Plotinus' thought.
• Dodds, E. R., et al. Les Sources de Plotin: Dix exposés et discussions par E. R. Dodds (et al.). Entretiens sur l'Antiquité classique, vol. 5. Geneva, Fondation Hardt, 1960.
  • A classic collection of essays (in English, French, German, and Italian) on Plotinus.
• Gerson, Lloyd P. The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  • A good collection of essays on a variety of topics from prominent scholars.
• Gerson, Lloyd P. Plotinus: Arguments of the Philosophers. Routledge, 1994.
  • Examines the central ideas in Plotinus' work; especially helpful for identifying major trends in interpretation from the last century.
• O'Meara, Dominic. Plotinus: An Introduction to the Enneads. Clarendon, 1993.
  • A general, noncontroversial introduction to Plotinus and the Enneads.
• Rist, John M. Plotinus: The Road to Reality. Cambridge University Press, 1967.
  • An influential reading of Plotinus still commonly read and cited.

Editions

The above edition, Lau's translation, is commonly used, but there is no commonly-accepted, standard translation of the Tao te ching; this is in part because the primary text itself comes in multiple forms: Heshang Gong (河上公), Wang Bi (王弼), Fu Yi (傅奕), Mawangdui (Ma-wang-tui), and Guodian, and in part because the text has been translated so many times. The most traditional of the original texts are the Heshang Gong and Wang Bi as they are the earliest, most complete versions. The Mawangdui version was not discovered until the 1970s and the Guodian not until 1993. Accordingly, the reader may wish to consult other editions and translations of the text. These include:

• ​Ames, Roger T., and David L. Hall, editors and translators. Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation. New York: Ballantine, 2003.
  • An explicitly "philosophical" translation that includes commentary on each chapter.
• Henricks, Robert G., translator. Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching: A Translation of the Startling New Documents Found at Guodian. Columbia University Press, 2005.
  • ​Translation of the Guodian version.
• Lynn, Richard John, translator. The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi. Columbia University Press, 2004.
  • Useful translation that also includes commentary by one of the most famous commentators on the Tao te ching, Wang Bi.
• Mair, Victor, translator. Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way. Bantam, 1990.
  • Translation of the Mawangdui version.
• Roberts, Moss, editor and translator. Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way. University of California Press, 2001.
  • A translation that attempts to render the more poetic side of the Tao te ching into English.
• Tao te Ching - Translation Comparison
  • A helpful tool that allows for side-by-side comparison of up to four different translations of the Tao te Ching.

As mentioned above, multiple versions of the Tao te ching exist in Chinese. There are, accordingly, several resources worth consulting:

• Liu Xiaogan 劉笑敢. Laozi gujin (老子古今). 2 vols. Beijing: Zhongguo Shehui kexue chubanshe, 2006.
  • Compares and interprets five different versions of the Tao te ching
• Tao Te Ching (Wang Bi version)
  • An online version of the Wang Bi version
• Tao Te Ching (Heshang Gong version)
  • An online version of the Heshang Gong version

An extremely thorough list of translations and versions of the Tao te ching can be found here: https://terebess.hu/english/tao/_index.html

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Daoist Studies
• Daoism Links
  • A helpful collection of online links and resources (there are a few dead links in the list)

​Bibliographies:

• Loewe, Michael, editor. Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley, 1993.
  • Focuses on the history of early Chinese philosophical texts, including those of the Taoist tradition. Includes annotations on subsequent commentaries and studies.

Works on Laozi and Taoism:

Items in Bold are available via online access from Emory's collections.

• Csikszentmihalyi, Mark, and Philip J. Ivanhoe, editors. Religious and Philosophical Aspects of the Laozi. State University of New York Press, 1999.
  • Collection of essays that examines the Tao te ching from a more exclusively philosophical (rather than religious) point of view.
• Graham, A. C. Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China. La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1989.
  • Although not primarily focused on reading the Tao te ching, nevertheless helpful for examining the intellectual context in which it arose.
• Kirkland, Russell. Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. Routledge, 2004.
  • Examines some of the difficulties in reading and understanding Taoist thought in English, especially in the context of Orientalism.
• Komjathy, Louis. The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction. Bloomsbury, 2013.
  • A general overview of Taoism that rejects cleaving Taosim into a philosophical side and religious side.
• Maspero, Henri. Taoism and Chinese Religion. Translated by Frank A. Kierman, Jr., University of Massachusetts Press, 1981.
  • An important and influential study of Taoism and Chinese Philosophy more broadly.
• Pregadio, Fabrizio, editor. The Encyclopedia of Taoism. Routledge, 2008. 2 vols.
  • An extremely comprehensive encyclopedia covering Taoism's terms, history, and practices.
• Sivin, Nathan. “On the Word ‘Taoist’ as a Source of Perplexity. With Special Reference to the Relations of Science and Religion in Traditional China.” History of Religions vol. 17, no. 3–4, 1978, pp. 303–330.
  • Examines the use of the term "Taoism," especially its relation to philosophical and scientific thinking pace religious thinking.
• Welch, Holmes, and Anna Seidel, editors. Facets of Taoism: Essays in Chinese Religion: Papers Presented at a Conference Held September 1972 in Tateshina, Japan. Yale University Press, 1979.
  • A collection of essays by some of the most prominent scholars of the time; the collection remains influential.

Editions

The difficulty of translating the Analects (Lun Yu) into English manifests itself in the lack of consensus of a standard English translation. Still, the above translations by Lau and Slingerland are commonly used. Other translations of the Analects the reader may wish to consult include:

• ​Chin, Ann-ping, translator. Confucius: The Analects. New York: Penguin Classics, 2014.
  • Offers extensive commentary and considerations of the Chinese in which the Analects was written.
• Watson, Burton, translator. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
  • A more "hands-off" translation, with sparse commentary and notes. Also leaves more of the ambiguity in the original intact, and omits quotation marks for direct speech (as is the case in the original).

Several resources online are helpful when considering the Analects in Chinese:

• The Chinese Text Project
  • Contains the entire Analects in Chinese, along with multiple tools for analysis and study.
• The Chinese Classics: Confucian Analects
  • Features the older, if still serviceable, translation of the Analects by Legge alongside the original Chinese.
• Confucius.org
  • Has multiple resources for studying the Analects in a variety of languages.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry​
• The Chinese Text Project

​Bibliographies:

• Goldin, Paul. “Ancient Chinese Civilization: Bibliography of Materials in Western Languages.”
  • A bibliography of secondary literature from 1809 onward on a wide variety of Chinese thought; includes material on the Analects, Confucius, and Confucianism.
• Sahleen, Joel. “An Annotated Bibliography of Works on Confucius and the Analects.” Confucius and the Analects: New Essays. Edited by Bryan Van Norden, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp. 303-320.

Works on Confucius and Confucianism:

Items in Bold are available via online access from Emory's collections.

• Dawson, Raymond. Confucius. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.
  • A good overview of Confucius, his life, and his ideas.
• Kim, Tae Hyun, and Mark Csikszentmihalyi. “History and Formation of the Analects.” The Dao Companion to the Analects. Edited by Amy Olberding, Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 2014, pp. 21-36.
  • Gives an overview of the historical background and issues concerning the composition of the Analects.
• Makeham, John. Transmitters and Creators: Chinese Commentators and Commentaries on the Analects. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2003.
  • Examines the history of commentary and interpretation of the Analects and Confucianism.
• Olberding, Amy, editor. The Dao Companion to the Analects. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 2014.
  • A good general collection of essays on a number of major topics and themes in the Analects.
• Slingerland, Edward. “Classical Confucianism (I): Confucius and the Lun-Yü.” History of Chinese Philosophy. Edited by Bo Mou, New York: Routledge, 2009, pp. 107-136.
  • A dense but helpful analysis of the Analects which considers textual issues and various interpretations.
• Tu, Wei-ming. Way, Learning, and Politics: Essays on the Confucian Intellectual. State University of New York Press, 1993.
  • An influential scholar of Confucianism who emphasizes the role of Confucianism in one's everyday life.
• Weber, Max. The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism. Translated by Hans H. Gerth. New York: Free Press, 1951.
  • Although heavily critiqued if not outright rejected in the last ~50 years, Weber's reading of Confucianism (and Taoism) had a significant influence on Western views of these two schools of thought.
• Yao, Xinzhong, editor. Encyclopedia of Confucianism. 2 vols. London and New York: Routledge, 2003.
  • Extensive encyclopedia with succinct entries on many terms, ideas, and figures in Confucianism.

Editions

The above edition is the one specified by the portfolio guide. However, if publication is the ultimate intent of the paper, the following editions should also be consulted:

• ​​Watson, Burton, editor. and translator. The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. Columbia University Press, 1968
  • The standard English edition of the complete Zhuangzi.
  • This translation can be read online for free at Terebess Asia Online (TAO).
• Graham, A. C., editor. and translator. Chuang-tzu: The Inner Chapters. Hackett, 2001.
  • A more explicitly "philosophical" translation that attends carefully to some of the more dense philosophical sections of the text. What it gains in philosophical precision is a bit at the cost of readability, however.

The Zhuangzi, like many ancient texts, has a complicated history. The "Inner Chapters" are generally thought to be the oldest part of the text, and perhaps the only part written by Zhuangzi himself. The "Outer" and "Miscellaneous" chapters, by contrast, are often thought to be additions by later schools. Exactly which parts of the text were written when and should be ascribed to whom is a matter of ongoing debate. In any case, one may consult the original text in the following sources:

• Zhuangzi Yinde (A Concordance to Chuang Tzu), Harvard-Yenching Institute Sinological Index Series, Supplement no. 20, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1956.
  • The standard source for the original text of the Zhuangzi.
• The Chinese Text Project
  • Includes the full Chinese text of the Zhuangzi alongside the Legge translation.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry​

​Bibliographies:

• Essential Readings on Chinese Philosophy
• Oxford Bibliography - Daoism
• Oxford Bibliography - Daoism and Philosophy
• PhilPapers - Zhuangzi Category Page

Works on Zhuangzi and Daoism:

Items in Bold are available via online access from Emory's collections.

• Ames, Roger T., editor. Wandering at Ease in the Zhuangzi. State University of New York Press, 1998.
  • A collection of essays on a number of topics in the Zhuangzi.
• Cook, Scott, editor. Hiding the World in the World: Uneven Discourses on the Zhuangzi. State University of New York Press, 2003.
  • Covers a variety of interpretive frameworks for understanding the Zhuangzi. 
• ​Mair, Victor H., editor. Experimental Essays on Chuang-tzu. University of Hawai’i Press, 1983.
  • An influential collection of essays on a variety of aspects of the Zhuangzi.
• Møllgaard, Eske. An Introduction to Daoist Thought: Action, Language, and Ethics in Zhuangzi. London: Routledge, 2007.
  • Places the Zhuangzi in a more contemporary context, especially one informed by recent European thought.
• Wu, Kuang-ming. The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang Tzu. State University of New York Press, 1990.
  • ​Engages the Western philosophical tradition (including figures like Plato and Kant) and places them in conversation with the Zhuangzi.

Editions

The Olivelle translation of the Upanishads, above, is generally taken to be the standard English translation of the work. However, it may also be worth consulting the following editions:

• ​​Hume, Robert Ernest, translator. The Thirteen Principal Upanishads. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1921.
  • Though no longer commonly used by scholars, this translation was popular for much of the 20th century and as such had a significant impact on interpretations of the Upanishads in English-speaking countries.
• Radhakrishnan, S., translator and editor. The Principal Upanishads. New York: Harper & Bros., 1953.
  • Along with the English translation, includes information on commentaries on the text and connections with other thinkers.

The standard edition of the original Sanskrit text is as follows:

• Limaye, V. P., and R. D. Vadekar, editors. Eighteen Principal Upaniṣads: Upaniṣadic Text with Parallels from Extant Vedic Literature, Exegetical and Grammatical Notes. Poona, India: Vaidika Samshodana Mandala, 1958.
  • The standard Sanskrit edition of the Upanishads.

Resources:

Online Resources:

• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry
• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry​
• Sanskrit Documents
  • Digitized versions of the Upanishads; multiple options available for displaying the script.

​Bibliographies:

• Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies Bibliography
  • Much broader than just the Upanishads, but quite useful especially for English-speaking audiences.
• Lighthiser, Timothy P. “Upaniṣads: A Contribution towards Bibliography of Secondary Literature and Reviews.” Journal of Indian Philosophy, vol. 30, no. 1, 2002, pp. 83–99.
  • A 2002 overview of the massive amount of literature on the Upanishads, covering a variety of topics.
• Oxford Bibliographies - The Upaniṣads
• Oxford Bibliographies - Vedānta

Works on the Upanishads and Vedānta Hinduism

Items in Bold are available via online access from Emory's collections.

• Cohen, Signe. The Upaniṣads : a Complete Guide. Routledge, 2018.
  • A useful general guide on the major issues and themes in the Upanishads.
• Dasgupta, S. A History of Indian Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922-55. 5 vols.
  • Volume 1, especially, offers an excellent introduction to the early Upanishads.
• Deussen, Paul. The Philosophy of the Upanishads. New York: Dover, 1966.
  • Originally published in 1906, this work represents one of the earliest attempts by a Western scholar to read the Upanishads as a work of philosophy. A bit outdated and clearly Eurocentric, but still an influential work.
• Edgerton, Franklin B. The Beginnings of Indian Philosophy: Selections from the Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Upaniṣads, and Mahābhārata. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965.
  • Presents the historical development of the idea of the self in the Vedic tradition, including the role of the Upanishads.
• Grinshpon, Yohanan. Crisis and Knowledge: The Upanishadic Experience and Storytelling. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • Argues that the attempts to situate the Upanishads in a Western philosophical tradition are missing the point; emphasizes the narrative structure instead.
• Hiriyanna, Mysore. Essentials of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2000.
  • Although broader than just the Upanishads, this work is useful as a general introduction into Indian Philosophy.
• Kapstein, Matthew. “Indra’s Search for the Self and the Beginnings of Philosophical Perplexity in India.” Religious Studies vol. 24, no. 2, 1988, pp. 239–256.
  • Compares the Upanishads with the pre-Socratics in terms of mode of writing and philosophizing.
• Witz, Klaus G. The Supreme Wisdom of the Upaniṣads. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1998.
  • Examines the major themes and concepts throughout the Upanishads