PhilosophyOnline

PhilosophyOnline began in about 1999 as a private project. It was intended to support my philosophy students by allowing them to do so such things as download notes for lessons they had missed (which, in some cases, was most of them!), access links to useful websites, and so on. From this, it expanded to include other things I thought might be useful, but which eventually went beyond my initial humble intentions, and became exhausting, long-term projects - e.g. providing an online annotated text of Descartes's Meditations.

However, being on the Internet, the material has attracted teachers and students internationally. Initially, this was a shock to me - I hadn't thought that the information would be useful to people as far afield as Latvia, Australia, Thailand and the USA - but I suppose it is just one of the wonderful consequences of the way the Internet works. Here's a little map of visitors (started 22nd October 2007):

As regards income, very little money is made from this site - in fact, it costs me more in time and actual money than I care to mention. I get a small revenue from Amazon every time someone buys a book I have recommended and clicks to it via a link from this site, and I also occasionally get requests for distance tutoring from people who have stumbled upon the site. Also, I have just begun to offer my own and other books for sale via the site. However, for the most part, PhilosophyOnline is just the obsession of a sole enthusiast. For this reason, please bear the following in mind:

If I say, 'This section will soon be available', I am not duty-bound to deliver that promise within a certain time. I do have a life outside of this site (well, of sorts...).
You may, if you wish, reference material on the site in the course of essay writing, etc. However, please bear in mind that most of the free materials on here are very general, and so if you are studying at degree level (or even before that, if I'm honest), then you should really be tracking down those materials at first hand! However, if you want to reference the site, then the author is me (Gareth Southwell).
I do not do free consultation. I will, of course, answer any casual enquiries where I feel that I can help, or else direct enquiries elsewhere. However, I am not an expert on everything, or a free source of philosophical guidance, so please don't contact me with, 'I need to know the flaws in Descartes's cogito argument'. If you want tutoring, that is a different matter (anyone interested, please reach me using the contact form).

If you have any comments relating to anything on the site, wish to point out inaccuracies, or just say hello, then, once again, please use the contact form.