Annotated Bibliography of Research so far

Annotated Bibliography

• Becker, Lawrence C., and Charlotte B. Becker. A History of Western Ethics. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y: Routledge, 2003. JSTOR. Web.

A History of Western Ethics is one of the many books I’ve consulted to gain an understanding of the development of philosophical ethics in western culture. The books is one of the shorter reads I’ve completed, and it segments its chapters very nicely based on geographic location and time period. The book offers short segments of philosophers, and ideas that arose at the time and is a culmination of several authors works.

• Bhattacharya, Malini. “Utilitarianism and the Concept of Authorial Autonomy in Early 19th Century England.” Economic & Political Weekly 17.31 (1982): n. pag. Web. 7 Apr. 2017.

This journal article by Malini Bhattacharya explores the similarities between the development of Utilitarianism and “Authorial Autonomy” within 19th Century England. The similarities have to do with the need for development due to encroaching resentment from other social entities. This journal article was useful for me as I was able to take away some new knowledge of 19th century England, as well as explore what could be called a “reformation” of Utilitarianist beliefs.

• Crisp, Roger. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Ethics. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2013. JSTOR. Web.

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Ethics was a book I consulted while at the New York Public Library. The book tended to be much denser than other books I consulted. This book was also a culmination of the works of several different authors, so the tone tended to shift around. Instead of focusing more on the history of the philosophers and their developing the ideas, this work focused more on the history of the ideas themselves, and dissected each aspect of the ideas ethical philosophy.

• Duignan, Brian. The History of Western Ethics. New York: Britannica Educational Pub. in Association with Rosen Educational Services, 2011. JSTOR. Web.

The History of Western Ethics is an educational book by Britannica Educational. Similar to A History of Western Ethics, the book progresses by looking at various ethical philosophers throughout various time periods, beginning in antiquity and moving up to the modern era. I found this book more helpful than A History of Western Ethics, as it seemed to go into more detail of philosophers.

• Irwin, Terence. The Development of Ethics: A Historical and Critical Study. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. JSTOR. Web.

The Development of Ethics: A Historical and Critical Study, is one of 3 volumes of works by Terence Irwin that pick apart ethics throughout western civilization. Volume 2 of these works focuses on philosophers from “Suarez to Rousseau,” or philosophers from the 17th to mid-18th century. I’ve been reading Irwin’s works over time, as they span nearly 2,500 pages, and I’ve found it extremely helpful. There is generally 100-200 pages dedicated to each author, so I’ve been able to read very in depth due to this.

• Irwin, Terence. The Development of Ethics: A Historical and Critical Study. Vol. 3. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011. JSTOR. Web.

Irwin’s 3rd volume is similar to his 2nd volume, though it goes from “Kant to Rawls,” or essentially mid 18th century to the late 19th century. What I said about the second volume essentially sums up this volume.

• Slote, Michael. Essays on the History of Ethics. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 2010. JSTOR. Web.

Essays on the History of Ethics, by Michael Slote, is another culmination of works. The book takes a look at the lesser talked about historical side of philosophical ethics, such as the “Reconfiguration” of Utilitarianism, and the alteration of David Hume’s beliefs. This was another work that I looked at during my time in the New York Public Library.

• Lemmens, Willem. “Philosophy as Medicina Mentis? Hume and Spinoza on Emotions and Wisdom.” The Concept of Love in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy. Ed. GaÌbor Boros, Herman De Dijn, and M. Moors. Leuven, Belgium: Leuven UP, 2007. 181-204. Print.

“Philosopher as medicina mentis? Hume and Spinoza on Emotions and Wisdom” is a book chapter from the book The Concept of Love in 17th and 18th Century. The chapter takes a look at the fundamental differences between Hume and Spinoza’s beliefs of philosophy as a “mind medicine” and where emotion and reason should be in the human’s life. The chapter was extremely useful as it maps out the differences in their philosophies, which is one of the main aspects of my thesis.

• Black, Jeremy. “Alliances, Duelling, and Social Policy.” Rev. of Allies Yet Rivals: International Politics in 18th Century Europe; A Polite Exchange of Bullets: The Duel and the English Gentleman 1750-1850; Inferior Politics: Social Problems and Social Policies in Eighteenth Century Britain, by Marco Cesa, Stephen Banks, and Joanna Innes. Johns Hopkins University Press Fall 2011: n. pag. Print.

“Alliances, Duelling, and Social Policy” is a review of three different articles/journals by Jeremy Black. The article offers a look at the social policy surrounding duels in the 18th and early 19th century. I found the article useful as it takes a look at the way men of higher class, which were generally where the philosophers of the time fell, interacted with eachother.

• Palmer, R. R. “History and Tradition.” Catholics and Unbelievers in 18th Century France. N.p.: Princeton UP, 1939. 53-76. Print.

The book chapter “History and Tradition” from the book Catholics and Unbelievers in 18th Century, and looks at the history and tradition of catholics in 18th century France. I was hoping to be able to use this chapter to take a look at French culture and history of the time, but it offered very little of that. It did, however, offer a look at the mindset of 18th century French religiously minded individuals.

• Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. Chicago: Great Foundation, 1960. Print.

J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism has been one of the works I’ve focused on the most. The work expands on the idea of Utilitarianism, and actually coins the name, and defends the philosophical idea from criticisms and misunderstandings. Utilitarianism has been one of the main ethical ideas that I’ve been studying, and Mill’s, as well as Sidgwick’s ideas, have been key to my research.

• Andrew, Donna T. “Daily Life in 18th-Century England (Review).” Rev. of Daily Life in 18th-Century England (Book), by Kirstin Olsen. Canadian Journal of History 35.3 (2000): 549. Print.

This short review has helped me to understand the culture and daily life of 18th century England. The review is somewhat negative towards the book, but still offers insights as to the daily comings and goings of people in 18th century England.

• Collins, Irene. “Political Repression in 19th Century Europe (Review).” Rev. of Political Repression in 19th Century Europe (Book), by Robert J. Goldstein. The English Historical Review 101.399 (1986): 535-36. Print.

Another review of a book about society in 18th/19th century Europe. The book being reviewed takes a look at the political repression of citizens in 19th century Europe. I’ll be using what I’ve found in this review/book to better help me understand 19th century Europe and the philosophers that developed there.

• Woloch, Isser, and Gregory S. Brown. Eighteenth-century Europe: Tradition and Progress, 1715-1789. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.

This book was used to gain an understanding of the ideologies, society, and government of Europe throughout the 18th century. I found significant evidence of population growth, poverty, and British governance which has added a good amount of fuel to my argument.

• Porter, Roy. English Society in the Eighteenth Century. London: Penguin, 1991. Print.

Similar to the book by Isser and Brown posted above, this book was used to gain information on English society in the eighteenth century, to further add to my argument. The book contains lots of statistical and census data which has become imperative to my essay.

• Langford, Paul. Eighteenth-century Britain: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. Print.

This book is a short read, lasting only around one hundred and fifty pages, and provides a brief history of Britain during the Eighteenth century, including most aspects of the nation. Helped to provide a basic understanding of British history from this time.

• Harvie, Christopher, and H. C. G. Matthew. Nineteenth-century Britain: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. Print.

The follow up to the book previously posted. This book, just as short as the last, offers insight into Great Britain in the following one hundred years. Like the book before it, it provided me with a basic understanding of British history that allowed me to better construct my argument.

• Hobbes, Thomas, and Kenneth R. Minogue. Leviathan. London: J.M. Dent, 1914. Print.

Leviathan by Hobbes was very useful in producing the first portion of the draft, as well as creating the basic argument that was adopted by British philosophers in the eras after Hobbes. I accessed this document electronically, and it gave me a basic understanding of the diction and argumentation taken by Hobbes, which is similar to that taken by Mill in Utilitarianism.