Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
Dr. Mortimer J. Adler
[1902-2001]
 | short profile |
Populist philosopher Mortimer J. Adler dedicated his life to providing access to important works of philosophy and literature to everybody.
“Philosophy is everybody's business.”
“In the case of good books, the point is not how many you can get thru, but rather how many can get thru to you.”
“You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order to have things occur to you, to let your mind think.”
“The philosopher ought never to try to avoid the duty of making up his mind.”
“Unless we love and are loved, each of us is alone, each of us is deeply lonely.”
“Freedom is the emancipation from the arbitrary rule of other men.”
“Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men.”
“The mind is not a receptacle; information is not education. Education is what remains after “The ultimate end of education is happiness or a good human life, a life enriched by the possession of — Mortimer J. Adler
the information that has been taught has been forgotten.”
every kind of good, by the enjoyment of every type of satisfaction.”
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
Mortimer J. Adler is Chairman of the Board of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Director of the Institute for Philosophical Research, and Honorary Trustee of the Aspen Institute. He has authored fifty books. He lives in Chicago.
Dr. Adler became chairman of the Board of Editors at Encyclopædia Britannica in 1974.
Mortimer J. Adler entry at Wikipedia
Center For The Study of The Great Ideas [est. 1990 by MJA & Max Weismann] in Chicago
browse Mortimer J. Adler Bookstore at Amazon
Major Works
browse Mortimer J. Adler Bookstore at Amazon
Great Books & Great Authors Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
inspired by and containing the "Great Books of The Western World" multi-volume sets [1952 & 1990]
Edited by Robert Maynard Hutchins [1899-1977] & Mortimer J. Adler [1902-2001]
"The Great Ideas: Syntopicon" [1952] by Mortimer J. Adler [1902-2001]
two-volumes that include essays written on 102 'great ideas' topics
 | "Syntopicon I: Angel to Love" [GBWW Volume 2 1952]
Encyclopedia Britannica 9½x6½ hardcover [1952] out of print/used Encyclopedia Britannica hardcover [1952] out of print/used "Syntopicon II: Man to World" [GBWW Volume 3 1952 & rev 1990] Encyclopedia Britannica 9½x6½hardcover [1990] out of print/used Encyclopedia Britannica 9x6½ hardcover [1987] out of print/used Encyclopedia Britannica 9½x6¼ hardcover [1971] out of print/used Encyclopedia Britannica 9x56½ hardcover [1952] out of print/used Encyclopedia Britannica 9¼x6 hardcover [1952] out of print/used |
 | "Great Ideas From The Great Books" [1961] by Dr. Mortimer J. Adler, Introduction by William Benton Pocket mass pb [3/69] out of print/used Washington Square Press mass pb [rev 1967] out of print/used Washington Square Press mass pb [1961] out of print/used |
 | "Gateway To The Great Books" 10-Volume Set [1963] Edited by Robert M. Hutchins & Mortimer J. Adler, Illustrations by Fred Steffen Volume titles: 1: Introduction, Syntopical Guide; 2: Imaginative Literature I; 3: Imaginative Literature II; 4: Imaginative Literature III; 5: Critical Essays; 6: Man and Society I; 7: Man and Society II; 8: Natural Science; 9: Mathematics; and 10: Philosophical Essays • online detailed list of all content William Benton 9x7½ hardcover [1963] 10 volumes - out of print/used |
 | "The Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought" [1992] by Mortimer J. Adler same 102 essays as the Syntopicon, with a new Introduction Scribner Classics 9½x8 hardcover [1999] out of print/many used Macmillan Publng 9½x7¾ hardcover [10/92] out of print/used |
 | "How To Think About The Great Ideas: From The Great Books of Western Civilization" [2000] by Mortimer J. Adler, Edited by Max Weismann Adler had his own TV show, "The Great Ideas" [1953-54] on KGO-TV in San Francisco, California and this book contains transcripts of the 52 half-hour episodes Kindle Edition from Open Court Publng [8/2008] for $14.99 Open Court Publng 9x6 pb [3/2000] for $17.63 |
"The Great Ideas Today" in 17 volumes [1961-77] as editor with Robert M. Hutchins
"The Great Ideas Today" in 21 volumes [1978-98] as editor
"Scholasticism and Politics" [1940] as editor
"How To Read A Book: The Art of Getting A Liberal Education" [1940]
 | "The Capitalist Manifesto" [1958] by Louis O. Kelso & Mortimer J. Adler Literary Licensing, LLC 9x6 pb [10/2011] for $30.56 Literary Licensing, LLC 9x6 hardcover [6/2011] for $44.06 Random House 8½x5¾ hardcover [1958] out of print/used |
 | "The New Capitalists: A Proposal To Free Economic Growth From The Slavery of Savings" [1961] by Louis O. Kelso & Mortimer J. Adler
Random House 9x6½ hardcover [1961] out of print/used |
"How To Read A Book: A Guide To Reading The Great Books" [1966]
"The Annals of America" in 21 volumes [1968] as editor
"The Time of Our Lives: The Ethics of Common Sense" [1970]
"The Common Sense of Politics" [1971]
 | "How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide To Intelligent Reading" [rev 1972] by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [5/2011] for $11.02 Touchstone 8¼x5¼ pb [8/72] for $11.18 Paw Prints 8x5¼ library hardcover [7/2008] for $23.75 |
"Propaedia: Outline of Knowledge and Guide To The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15th Edition" in 30 volumes [1974] as editor
"Great Treasury of Western Thought" [1977] as editor with Charles Van Doren
 | "Reforming Education: The Schooling of A People and Their Education Beyond Schooling" [1977] by Mortimer J. Adler, Edited by Geraldine Van Doren
Westview Press 9x6 hardcover [5/78] out of print/used |
 | "Aristotle For Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy" [1978] by Mortimer J. Adler Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [6/2008] for $9.73 Touchstone 8¼x5½ pb [6/97] for $11.35 Bantam Books mass pb [8/83] out of print/50+ used Bantam Doubleday Dell mass pb [12/80] out of print/50+ used Macmillan 8¼x5½ hardcover [1979] out of print/150+ used Macmillan 8¼x5½ hardcover [1978] out of print/used see also Maison d'Être Bookstore's Greek philosopher Aristotle [384-322 B.C.E.] Page |
"How To Think About God: A Guide For The 20th-Century Pagan" [1980]
 | "Six Great Ideas: Truth, Goodness, Beauty, Liberty, Equality, Justice" [1981] by Mortimer J. Adler Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [1997 edition] for $11.02 Touchstone 8½x5½ pb [12/97] for $15.29 Macmillan Publng 8¼x5½ hardcover [1981] out of print/80+ used |
 | "The Angels and Us" [1982] by Mortimer J. Adler Adler speculates on the existence of angels, on why Jews, Christians & Muslims believe in angels, and on the ways that angels have been viewed as objects of religious belief and philosophical thought. Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [1982 edition] for $10.99 Touchstone 8½x5½ pb [9/93] for $15.26 Scribner 8¼x5½ hardcover [3/82] out of print/50+ used |
 | "The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto" [1982] by Mortimer J. Adler 'on behalf of members of the Paideia Group' Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [1998 edition] for $6.92 Touchstone 8¼x5½ pb [10/98] for $9.10 Scribner hardcover [9/82] out of print/used |
 | "Paideia Problems & Possibilities: A Consideration of Questions Raised By The Paideia Proposal" [1983] by Mortimer J. Adler
Scribner 8¼x6½ pb [9/83] out of print/many, many used Collier Macmillan hardcover [9/83] out of print/used |
 | "The Paideia Program: An Educational Syllabus" [1984] Essays by The Paideia Group, Preface & Introduction by Mortimer J. Adler Touchstone Trade 8¾x6 pb [11/84] for $17.95 Scribner 8¼x6¾ hardcover [11/84] out of print/used |
 | "The Paideia Classroom: Teaching For Understanding" [1998] by Terry Roberts, with Laura Billings Routledge 9x6 pb [10/98] for $19.90 |
 | "How To Speak / How To Listen: A Companion To The Bestseller How To Read A Book" [1983] by Mortimer J. Adler
Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [6/2008] for $10.38 Touchstone 8¼x5½ pb [4/97] for $13.65 Scribner 8¼x5¾ hardcover [4/83] out of print/many used |
 | "A Vision of The Future: Twelve Ideas For A Better Life and A Better Society" [1984] by Mortimer J. Adler Scribner 8½x5¾ hardcover [3/84] out of print/80+ used |
 | "Ten Philosophical Mistakes: Basic Errors In Modern Thought - How They Came About, Their Consequences & How To Avoid Them" [1985] by Mortimer J. Adler Kindle Edition from Simon & Schuster Digital Sales [1997 edition] for $10.37 Touchstone 8¼x5½ pb [4/97] for $14.07 Scribner 7¾x9¾ hardcover [3/85] out of print/hundreds used Blackstone audio [7/94] for $26.32 |
"A Guidebook To Learning: For A Lifelong Pursuit of Wisdom" [1986]
"We Hold These Truths: Understanding The Ideas and Ideals of The Constitution" [1987]
 | "Reforming Education: The Opening of The American Mind" [1989] by Mortimer J. Adler, Edited by Geraldine Van Doren Collier Macmillan 8x5½ pb [4/90] out of print/used Macmillan 8½x5¾ hardcover [3/89] out of print/many used |
 | "Intellect: Mind Over Matter" [1990]
Collier Books 8½x5½ pb [10/93] out of print/many used Scribner 8¾x5¾ board book [3/90] out of print/many used |
"Truth In Religion: The Plurality of Religions and The Unity of Truth" [1990]
"Desires, Right & Wrong: The Ethics of Enough" [1991]
 | "The Four Dimensions of Philosophy: Metaphysical - Moral - Objective - Categorical" [1993]
Scribner 8¼x5¼ board book [2/94] out of print/many used Scribner 8½x6 hardcover [6/93] out of print/many used |
"Art, The Arts, and The Great Ideas" [1994]
 | "Adler's Philosophical Dictionary: 125 Key Terms For The Philosopher's Lexicon" [1995] by Mortimer J. Adler
|
"How To Think About The Great Ideas: From The Great Books of Western Civilization" [2000]
edited by Max Weismann {see below}
 | "How To Prove There Is A God: Mortimer J. Adler's Writings and Thoughts About God" [2011] Compiled & Edited by Ken Dzugan
Kindle Edition from Open Court [12/2011] for $14.99 Open Court 9x6 pb [12/2011] for $22.46 |
Other Works
"Dialectic" [1927]
"The Nature of Judicial Proof: An Inquiry Into Ihe Logical, Legal, and Empirical Aspects of The Law of Evidence" [1931] with J. Michael
"Crime, Law and Social Science" [1933] with Jerome Michael
"Art and Prudence: A Study In Practical Philosophy" [1937]
"What Man Has Made of Man: A Study of The Consequences of Platonism and Positivism In Psychology" [1937]
"The Philosophy and Science of Man: A Collection of Texts As A Foundation For Ethics and Politics" [1940]
"A Dialectic of Morals: Towards The Foundations of Political Philosophy" [1941]
"How To Think About War and Peace" [1944]
"The Revolution In Education" [1958] with Milton Mayer
"The Idea of Freedom I: A Dialectical Examination of The Conceptions of Freedom" [1958]
"The Idea of Freedom II: A Dialectical Examination of The Controversies About Freedom" [1961]
"The Conditions of Philosophy: Its Checkered Past, Its Present Disorder, and Its Future Promise" [1965]
"The Difference of Man and The Difference It Makes" [1967]
"The American Testament" [1975] with William Gorman
 | "Some Questions About Language: A Theory of Human Discourse and Its Objects" [1976] by Mortimer J. Adler
Open Court Publng 8¾x5 pb [10/91] for $19.22 Open Court Publng hardcover [4/77] out of print/used |
 | "Haves Without Have-Nots: Essays For The 21st Century On Democracy and Socialism" [1991] by Mortimer J. Adler
Macmillan 8½x5½ hardcover [4/91] out of print/70+ used |
Radio & Television, Other Media
incomplete credits [1958-92] for Mortimer J. Adler at Internet Movie Database
| | "How To Think About The Great Ideas: From The Great Books of Western Civilization" [2000] by Mortimer J. Adler, Edited by Max Weismann The publication of "The Great Books" provoked much controversy around Mortimer Adler; he was able to leave Chicago academia and found the Institute for Philosophical Research in San Francisco, where one of his innovations was a half-hour television program [1953-54] about philosophy for N.E.T. (now P.B.S.) based on "The Great Books". This book contains transcripts of those 52 TV programs. Kindle Edition from Open Court [2000 edition] for $14.99 Open Court 8½x5¾ pb [3/2000] for $19.38 |
these programs are available on DVD & audio CD only at the Center For The Study of The Great Ideas
DVDs for $19.95 each, 22-disk set for $395 •
audio CDs for $14.95 each, 31-disk set for $349
±
 | "Voices of Our Time: Five Decades of Studs Terkel Interviews" [1999] 48 live radio interviews by Studs Terkel on WFMT in Chicago Highbridge UNABR audio CD set [6/2005] 6 disks/7½ hours for $23.07 Highbridge UNABR audio cassettes [3/99] 7½ hours - out of prodn/used the 48 interviewees are Dr. Mortimer J. Adler, auteur Woody Allen, Isabel Allende, auteur Robert Altman, Laurie Anderson, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Jacob Bronowski, Mel Brooks, John Cage, Betty Carter, Aaron Copland, Simone de Beauvoir (1963), Ralph Ellison, Daniel Ellsberg, [blacklistee] John Henry Faulk, Dame Margot Fonteyn, thinker R. Buckminster Fuller, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Nadine Gordimer, Stephen Jay Gould, David Hockney, Robert Hughes, Mahalia Jackson, Garrison Keillor, Alan Lomax, Barry Lopez, Norman Maclean, Margaret Mead, playwright Arthur Miller, Toni Morrison, Zero Mostel, Bill Moyers, Dorothy Parker, Bertrand Russell, Dr. Oliver Sacks, Pete Seeger, Andres Segovia, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Wole Soyinka, Calvin Trillin, Kenneth Tynan, Gore Vidal, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Garry Wills, and Bob Woodward |
"The Mike Wallace Interview" TV series [ABC-TV Sept 1958] /tt2124618/
"Six Great Ideas with Mortimer Adler" [PBS 1983] filmed by journalist Bill Moyers
"Mortimer Adler: Teaching The Constitution" [1987] episode /tt2098225/
of "In Search of The Constitution" 11-episode TV series [1987] hosted by journalist Bill Moyers /tt2090141/
http://www.billmoyers.com/series/in-search-of-the-constitution-1987/
speech and Q&A by Dr. Adler at National Press Club Luncheon in October 1990
watch C-SPAN Live [59:44, sound low] on C-SPAN website
"Firing Line" color TV series [N.E.T./P.B.S. 1966-97]
Hosted by William F. Buckley [1925-2008]
homepage at Hoover Institution •
series credits at IMDb •
Wikipedia
 |
"The Idea of The Great Ideas" [March 1970] episode of "Firing Line"
WOR-TV 50-minute DVD-R [3/2011] for $10.00 • episode credits at IMDb "How To Speak, How To Listen" [April 1983] episode of "Firing Line" S.E.C.A. 60-minute DVD-R [12/2012] for $10.00 • credits not found at IMDb "Firing Line,1966-1986: Personalities" [Jan 1986] episode of "Firing Line" 5-minute clips of guests including Mortimer Adler, Muhammad Ali, Eldridge Cleaver, John Kenneth Galbraith, Allen Ginsberg, Germaine Greer, Timothy Leary, Clare Boothe Luce, Norman Mailer, Malcolm Muggeridge, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Norman Thomas S.E.C.A. 60-minute DVD-R [4/2010] for $10.00 • credits not found at IMDb "On The Closing of The American Mind" [May 1988] episode of "Firing Line" episode credits at IMDb "Mortimer Adler Sums Up" [Dec 1992] episode of "Firing Line" episode credits at IMDb |
Works About Mortimer J. Adler
biographical sketch at Center For The Study of The Great Ideas website
 | TIME Magazine cover article 'Education: Fusilier" [17 March 1952] online text of 4250-word article {requires login or signup} |
 | "Philosopher At Large: An Intellectual Autobiography, 1902-1976" [1977] by Mortimer J. Adler Scribner 9x6 pb [10/92] out of print/50+ used Macmillan 9¼x6 hardcover [7/77] out of print/many used |
 | "A Second Look In The Rearview Mirror: Further Autobiographical Reflections of A Philosopher At Large" [1992] by Mortimer J. Adler
Macmillan 9¼x6¼ hardcover [10/92] out of print/60+ used |
New York Times obituary
Friends & Family
Mortimer Jerome Adler was born in 1902 in New York City; he died at age 98 in Palo Alto, California in 2001.
He was married twice and had four sons
first wife Helen [] - married in the mid-1920s, div 1960s
second wife Caroline
son Mark Adler of Chevy Chase, Maryland + wife nancy
son Michael Adler of Grand Junction, Colorado
son Douglas Adler of Chicago
son Philip Adler of Chicago
friend & colleague Max Weismann [b. 1936]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weismann
L i n k s
Mortimer J. Adler entry at Wikipedia
incomplete credits [1958-92] for Mortimer J. Adler at Internet Movie Database
Great Books & Great Authors Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
Organizations
Adler was lecturer & Honorary Trustee at The Aspen Institute of Philosophical Research [est. 1950] based in Washington, DC
Adler's Institute for Philosophical Research [1952-1990?] founded in San Francisco, moved to Chicago
Center For The Study of The Great Ideas [est. 1990 by MJA & Max Weismann] in Chicago
Great Books Academy Home School Program [est. 1999] based in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Angelicum Academy & Great Books Homeschool Program [est. 1999] based in Colorado Springs, Colorado
unrelated & extant Institute for Philosophical Research [est. 2008] based in Massachusetts
unrelated & extant Institute for Philosophical Research of Greece [est. 2008]
Adler-Aquinas Institute [est. 2012]
here on the Mortimer J. Adler [1902-2001] Page at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
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