The 1927 publication of Dialectic marked the initial literary output of a thinker who spent seven decades working to bridge the gap between academic philosophy and the public. Mortimer J. Adler challenged contemporary intellectual conventions through a career that spanned roles as a university teacher, television presenter, and architect of massive reference projects.
Academic Foundations and Scholarly Disputes
Adler began his formal studies at Columbia University, where he contributed to the magazine The Morningside and eventually earned a doctorate in psychology. Despite holding an instructorship there, he famously refused a required swimming test, resulting in a withheld degree until the university granted an honorary one in 1983. In 1930, he moved to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Maynard Hutchins. His appointment to the law school faculty caused internal friction, as departmental philosophers including George Herbert Mead and Edwin Arthur Burtt contested his credentials and lacked faith in his philosophical qualifications.
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Collaborating with Scott Buchanan during his early years, Adler became a central figure in the Great Books movement. This led to his long-standing work with the Encyclopædia Britannica, where he compiled A Syntopicon and the Propaedia. Serving as the director of editorial planning for the fifteenth edition starting in 1965, he significantly reorganized how knowledge was cataloged. In 1952, he founded the Institute for Philosophical Research to sustain these inquiries. Later, in 1990, he and Max Weismann established the Center for the Study of the Great Ideas in Chicago.
Philosophical Frameworks and Religious Engagement
Adler aligned his work with Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. In his 1985 text, Ten Philosophical Mistakes, he analyzed foundational errors he attributed to René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, and David Hume. His admiration for Thomas Aquinas, particularly the Summa Theologica, influenced his interest in theology. While he contributed to Catholic journals and lectured at religious institutions, he was often described as a fellow-traveller of the Roman Catholic Church, maintaining an intellectual affinity for the tradition without immediate formal conversion.
Popularizing Intellectual Inquiry
Rejecting the insular nature of academic circles, Adler focused on reaching the general public through books such as How to Read a Book. He utilized his position as a teacher to engage audiences beyond the university, including business executives at the Aspen Institute, which was founded by Walter Paepcke following the success of Adler’s seminars. His efforts to democratize complex ideas extended to economic theory, where he authored the preface to Louis O. Kelso's The Capitalist Manifesto in 1958.
Fast facts
- Born: 1902, New York City
- Died: 2001, San Mateo
- Education: Columbia University
- Key Employers: Columbia University, University of Chicago
- Key Publication: How to Read a Book
- Notable Awards: Aquinas Medal (1976), St. Louis Literary Award (1978), Charles Frankel Prize (1990)
- Religion: Catholic Church
- Primary Fields: Philosophy, Education
Questions readers ask
Did Mortimer J. Adler ever formally join the Catholic Church?
Although he was associated with Thomism and contributed to Catholic journals throughout his life, he did not formally convert during his active career.
Was Adler ever a law professor?
Yes. In 1930, he was hired by the University of Chicago Law School as a professor of the philosophy of law, becoming the first faculty member there without a formal legal background.
Achievements
- National Humanities Medal
- Charles Frankel Prize — 1990
- Aquinas Medal — 1976
- Held posts at Columbia University and University of Chicago
- Fields: philosophy
