The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, or IEP, is one of those extraordinary places on the Web that clearly deserve to be termed "a labor of love" (see my remarks in my "autobiography" on why this is fitting for a resource devoted to philosophy!). The site is the brainchild of Jim Fieser, who toils in the philosophy department of the University of Tennessee at Martin.
In an interview, I asked Mr. Fieser to tell me about his encyclopedia site, how it came to be, its aims, and what the future holds for it. Here is what he told me:
"Yes, the IEP was my idea, which I came up with about a year ago last December. I already had another site called The Hume Archives' which contained text files by and about David Hume. I was reflecting one day on the enormous possibilities that the Internet offered, and then thought about expanding the Hume Archives. I considered expanding to include text files related to Scottish philosophy in general, and afterexploring other ideas, I thought that I should just be bold and make a site that encompassed all areas of philosophy."
Rationale and Scope
How does Fieser summarize the rationale and scope of his developing site, which presently contains some 200 articles and a small but growing list of primary philosophical e-texts?
"The purpose of the site is to provide information on all areas of philosophy, either for classroom purposes or for those who have private interests."
The encyclopedia clearly promises to live up to its purpose, and Fieser plans significant growth for it in the coming months. When completed, it will be both comprehensive and authoritative, a model of what the Web is capable of providing for scholarly research.
"Over the years," says Fieser, "I'm hoping to bump the number of articles up to about 1,000, and have primary philosophical texts on all of the leading figures in philosophy. Within the year I hope to set the IEP up on its own server with its own address."
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