Mortimer J. Adler

Mortimer J. Adler
Adler while presiding over the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas
Born
Mortimer Jerome Adler

(1902-12-28)December 28, 1902
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 28, 2001(2001-06-28) (aged 98)
Spouses
  • Helen Leavenworth Boynton
    (m. 1927; div. 1960)
  • Caroline Sage Pring
    (m. 1963; died 1998)
Education
EducationColumbia University (PhD)
Philosophical work
Era20th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
School
Main interestsPhilosophical theology, metaphysics, ethics
Notable worksAristotle for Everybody, How to Read a Book, A Syntopicon

Mortimer Jerome Adler (/ˈædlər/; December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher, educator, encyclopedist, popular author and lay theologian. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He taught at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, served as chairman of the Encyclopædia Britannica board of editors, and founded the Institute for Philosophical Research.

He lived for long stretches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Mateo, California.