He was the force behind the first major revision of the encyclopedia in over 200 years, published in 1974 as The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 1945 Adler took a leave of absence in order to complete his work on the Synopticon (an index of 102 "great ideas" contained in the books) and on editing the 54-volume Great Books of the Western World Series (with Hutchins).Īdler joined the Board of Directors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1947 and became director of planning (1966) and chairman (1974) of the editorial executive committee. University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins recruited Adler to the faculty in 1930, where he first joined then department of philosophy and later joined the Law School as an associate professor. In addition to his doctoral studies, Adler worked as in instructor in the psychology department at Columbia from 1923-1930 as well as City College and the People's Institute. One year later, Adler received his PhD in philosophy from Columbia. His earliest research resulted in the publication of Dialectic in 1927, which focused on a summation of the great philosophical and religious ideas of Western Civilization, ideas influenced by his fascination with medieval thought and sensibility. Nevertheless Adler continued his graduate studies at Columbia where he studied with John Erskine and John Dewey. ![]() He completed his degree in three years, but was denied a diploma because he refused to take physical education classes or the required swim test. In 1920, a teacher who noticed his promise secured him a scholarship to Columbia University. ![]() He later enrolled in evening extension courses at Columbia University where he read John Stuart Mill's Autobiography and decided to become a philosopher. When he was fourteen, Adler dropped out of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and went to work as a secretary and a copy boy for the New York Sun. His father, Ignatz, an immigrant from Bavaria, worked as a jeweler and his mother, Clarissa, was a former teacher. Mortimer Jerome Adler was born on Decemin New York City. Papers,, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library Biographical Note This collection, the preferred citation is: Adler, Mortimer J. Administrative and budget material is restricted for up to 50 years. This collection is open for research but is currently unprocessed and may contain information that falls into certain administrative restriction categories. The collection consists of articles, correspondence, manuscripts, memoranda, newspaper clippings, notes, reading lists, reprints, and other materials relating to the career of Mortimer J. Adler Papers include information on his work with the Great Books, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the Institute for Philosophical Research as well as material relating to his many publications. Mortimer Jerome Adler, philosopher, educator, writer. Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center © 2006 University of Chicago Library Descriptive Summary Title: ![]() University of Chicago Library Guide to the Mortimer J.
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