Philosopher’s Glossary

Philosophy Works Master

Field	Everything Else
CORE IDENTIFICATION
[WorkMasterId]	Definition: System-generated unique identifier. Rule: No research. Identity column only.
[Title]	Definition: Standard English title used in academic literature. How to research: Priority: SEP → Britannica → Oxford → major translations Choose the most cited modern title Avoid: Overly literal translations if a canonical title exists Mixing variants (“Republic” vs “The Republic” → pick one standard)
[Original Title]	Definition: Title in original language/script. How to research: Greek, Latin, Chinese, German, etc. Use scholarly standard form (not Google Translate) Avoid: Transliteration duplicates of English title
[Alternate Titles]	Definition: Other historically attested titles, translations, or abbreviations. How to research: Latinized forms Abbreviations (e.g., CPR for Critique of Pure Reason) Variant translations Avoid: Minor spelling differences unless meaningful
[Author]	Definition: Primary philosopher responsible for the work. How to research: Direct attribution For disputed works → use most accepted attribution Avoid: Listing multiple unless truly co-authored
[Year Written]	Definition: Best scholarly estimate of when the work was composed. How to research: Use ranges if necessary → choose midpoint or dominant estimate Avoid: Confusing with publication date
[Year Published]	Definition: First known publication or circulation date. How to research: For ancient works → often NULL or approximated Avoid: Fabricating exact years for ancient texts
[Language]	Definition: Original language of composition. Examples: Ancient Greek Latin Classical Chinese German
CLASSIFICATION FIELDS
[Philosophical Tradition]	Definition: Broad intellectual tradition the work belongs to. Examples: Ancient Greek Scholastic Enlightenment Existentialism Analytic Philosophy Rule: 1–2 max. Keep high-level.
[Primary Discipline]	Definition: Main branch of philosophy the work contributes to. Allowed set (align with your schema): Metaphysics Epistemology Logic Ethics Aesthetics Political Philosophy Philosophy of Mind Philosophy of Language Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Religion
[Secondary Discipline]	Definition: Secondary philosophical domain, if applicable. Rule: Optional. Only fill if clearly justified.
CONTENT FIELDS
[Core Thesis]	Definition: The central claim or argument of the work. How to write: 1–3 sentences Direct, declarative Example structure: Argues that X is the case because of Y, rejecting Z. Avoid: Plot summaries (for dialogues) Vague phrasing (“explores themes of…”)
[Key Concepts]	Definition: Named concepts introduced or formalized in the work. Examples: “Theory of Forms” “Categorical Imperative” “Will to Power” Format: Comma-separated list
[Methodology]	Definition: How the philosopher constructs the argument. Examples: Dialectic (Plato) Deductive rationalism (Descartes) Empirical skepticism (Hume) Phenomenology (Heidegger)
[Structure]	Definition: Formal organization of the work. Examples: Dialogue Treatise Aphorisms Lecture series Critique format
[Notable Arguments]	Definition: Specific arguments or proofs within the work. Examples: “Allegory of the Cave” “Cogito argument” “Ontological argument” Rule: List named or clearly defined arguments only
[Quotable Lines]	Definition: Widely cited lines or phrases from the work. Rule: Use only well-known, academically recognized quotes Keep short
IMPACT FIELDS
[Influence On]	Definition: Major thinkers, movements, or fields influenced by this work. Examples: “Western political theory” “German Idealism” “Analytic philosophy”
[Influenced By]	Definition: Prior works or thinkers this work builds on. Examples: Plato → Socrates Kant → Hume
[Historical Significance]	Definition: Why this work matters in the history of philosophy. How to write: 1–2 sentences Focus on impact, not content
[Modern Relevance]	Definition: How the work is used or referenced today. Examples: Ethics frameworks Political theory AI / consciousness debates
VALIDATION RULES (CRITICAL)
No biography leakage	Do not describe the author’s life in work fields.
No vague verbs	Ban: “explores” “discusses” “examines” Use: “argues” “establishes” “rejects” “formalizes”
Concept density over prose	Every field must carry distinct information.
Canonical priority	Favor: SEP Primary texts Academic consensus Over: Blogs Pop summaries
NULL discipline enforcement	If a work does NOT contribute meaningfully to a domain → leave it NULL.