How to Think About the Great Ideas From the Great Books of Western Civilization

Time magazine called Mortimer J. Adler a "philosopher for everyman." In this guide to considering the big questions, Adler addresses the topics all men and women ponder in the course of life, such as "What is love?", "How do we decide the right thing to do?", and, "What does it mean to be good?" Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Western literature, history, and philosophy, the author considers what is meant by democracy, law, emotion, language, truth, and other abstract concepts in light of more than two millennia of Western civilization and discourse. Adler's essays offer a remarkable and contemplative distillation of the Great Ideas of Western Thought.

Mortimer J. Adler was born in 1902 and has left an indelible mark on American culture. Beginning in the 1930s, Adler was the major force in promoting the "Great Books" idea as an educational paradigm. He founded the Institute for Philosophical Research, launched the Paidea movement for educational reform, and revolutionized the Encyclopaedia Britannica