Philosophy associated with major thought systems such as Confucianism, Buddhism and Islam are collected in English, European and Area specific languages. Both historically significant and contemporary works are purchased, as are Western interpretations and scholarship. World Philosophy extends beyond purely 'philosophical' material to include works in the fields such as Religious Studies and the History of Science.
Because of longstanding collection strengths in area studies as well as because of disciplinary trends recognizing philosophers outside of the traditional western canon, the Penn Libraries have a significant amount of material relating to philosophy and philosophers in East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Collections of original texts published over hundreds of years are available in the Area Studies collections and in the Kislak Center. Some of this material has been digitized.
The Libraries publish scholarly work in European and non-European languages related to interpretations and analyses of World Philosophy.
