Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (10 Volumes in 1 )

In this 10-volume set, we have a truly global encyclopedia of metaphysical thought--not just philosophy, but theology as well. Although it has noticeable British and American sensibilities, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a multicultural affair with over 2,000 individual articles, including entries for Cheng Hao and Baal Shem Tov along with Renй Descartes and Immanuel Kant, and it discusses Mahayana Buddhism as ably as it discusses deconstruction theory. Admirable efforts have been made by the individual contributors (all 1,300-plus of them) to maintain such clarity of presentation as to provide a sophisticated yet accessible intellectual primer that requires only a willingness to learn. This is the philosophic equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary, doubling as an indispensable reference and a marvelously indulgent splurge.