Mortimer Adler

Mortimer Jerome Adler, born December 28th, 1902, was an American philosopher, educator, and author. His work, which focus on topics like ethics and the great books, has had a lasting influence on American education in both the public and private spheres.

Adler was born in New York City to Jewish immigrants. His mother worked as a dress-maker, and his father was a jewelry maker. Adler's father died when he was still young, leaving the responsibility of Willy Crane, Adler's mother's brother.

Adler was an avid learner and excelled in school. He was able to attend Columbia University on a full-scholarship at the age of 16. Adler was philosophical from a young age and studied under the philosopher John Dewey, who greatly influenced him.

After college, Adler founded the Institute for Philosophical Research in 1940, a research institute dedicated to studying and analyzing the great books of Western civilization. Adler was a strong advocate for the synthesis of philosophy and literature, believing great literature to be a way to understand the fundamentals of philosophy.

Throughout his career, Adler wrote several books including 'How to Read a Book' (1940), 'The Great Ideas: A Syntopicon of Great Books of the Western World' (1952), 'Dialogues: On Great Books of the Western World' (1954), 'The Idea of Freedom' (1958), and 'Six Great Ideas' (1981).

Adler's most famous work, 'How to Read a Book,' has been credited with revolutionizing the way people approach reading. The book gave readers a systematic approach to extract the most value out of any type of book. His other works focus on summarizing the Western tradition of philosophy, as well as exploring his own philosophical theories.

Adler was also an educator and was involved in several projects to improve education. He served as the editor-in-chief for the Encyclopedia Britannica's 15th edition, which acted as the first integrated syntheses of history, philosophy, and other subjects. Adler was also an advocate for lifelong learning and was an active member of the Great Books Foundation.

In his personal life, Adler was an avid lover of baseball, traveling, and classical music. He was married four times and had six children. His last marriage, to Helen Snow in 1953 until his death in 2001, is considered his most successful marriage.

In 1959, Adler was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2000, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal. His work, which focused on explicating the philosophical foundations of education, remains influential today.

Mortimer Adler's work revolutionized the way people approach reading, education, and philosophy. His innovative synthesis of Western philosophy, literature, and education laid the groundwork for countless others after him to further explore the connections between these disciplines. He was an inspirational thinker and teacher, whose legacy lives on today.