How do I use Phylo?

Phylo lets you access and edit information about professional philosophers. The best way to do this is to go to Phylo's home page. (You'll need JavaScript enabled in your web browser to take advantage of our home page.)

Finding information on Phylo. To get started using Phylo, find the search box near the top left corner of each page. Type the name of a philosopher, college, or university and click 'Go'. Our database currently focuses on philosophers who studied or taught in North America since the late 1800's, you'll get the best results if you search for a 20th century American philosopher. We hope to expand to other times and geographical areas in the future.

You'll see information about the person or institution that you searched for in two ways. On the lefthand side, you'll see a "details panel" containing a list of the information we have about that person or institution. On the righthand hand, you'll see that same information displayed on a timeline. You can click and drag the timeline to move around. If your mouse has a scrollwheel, you can use that, too. Hold shift while using the scrollwheel to scroll horizontally. You can also click on the icons in the timeline to see more information.

Adding information to Phylo. We'd love for you to edit or add to the information in our database. You'll need to log in or create a free account to do so. You can always find instructions on adding or editing information from the "Get help" section of the main menu at the top of the page.

I forgot my username and/or password. Help!

In the Log In link at the top right, click “Forgot username/password?” and Phylo will send an email to the address that you gave us when you created your account.

When do I have to sign in?

Anonymous users can

  • search Phylo and explore visualizations
  • read blog and forum entries
  • subscribe to RSS feeds

Registered users can also

  • challenge suspect information
  • change/add information
  • access their personal home pages
  • receive notifications when data is added/changed
  • make blog comments and forum posts
  • receive email updates on blog entries
Why do I need to sign in?

We need to track who’s uploading what information and have a way to contact that person in case someone challenges undocumented information. There are lots of side-benefits to registering as well, including personalized home pages that allow you to easily add your own information, notifications that tell you when someone has changed information you’ve added or when someone has uploaded information you’re looking for, and hopefully more in the future.