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Ten Philosophical Mistakes

Mortimer J. Adler

Why we're reading this: The ideas of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas are the foundation of this critique of the direction philosophy…more
[close] The ideas of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas are the foundation of this critique of the direction philosophy has taken, starting with Locke and continuing through the German philosophers of the 19th century until today.

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Mar 16, 2009 Tyler rated it it was ok

Shelves: philosophy

A foe of modern philosophy, Adler takes on Hobbes, Locke, Hume and Kant. These Enlightenment writers, by ignoring earlier ones – that is to say, Aristotle and Aquinas – made basic errors in reasoning that still plague us. Adler uproots these errors in order to get the philosophical project back on track. For this uneven book it’s perhaps better to separate the bad from the good.

The bad:

Surprisingly, this book, presented in two parts, has no index. It has an epilogue which is key to the author’s A foe of modern philosophy, Adler takes on Hobbes, Locke, Hume and Kant. These Enlightenment writers, by ignoring earlier ones – that is to say, Aristotle and Aquinas – made basic errors in reasoning that still plague us. Adler uproots these errors in order to get the philosophical project back on track. For this uneven book it’s perhaps better to separate the bad from the good.

The bad:

Surprisingly, this book, presented in two parts, has no index. It has an epilogue which is key to the author’s intent, and therefore would have been better as part of the prologue. Adler’s reputation as an “everyman’s” philosopher isn’t especially justified. Many subjects in the book have been explained much more clearly elsewhere.

The first part deals with mental activity. The first chapter, about concept formation, is hardest, although it had to lead off because subsequent chapters draw from it. Adler criticizes Locke for confusing ideas with objects, but it’s unclear why an “idea” must in all cases be a means and not an end. He seems to hold Locke to a sophisticated theory of concepts. And the consequences of the confusion, too, seem overstated.

In some cases, I don’t see the necessity of Adler’s reasoning. Is it really proper to class speculative philosophy with speculative physics? Is reductionism really better handled by an explanation of subatomic particles than a consideration of emergent properties? Is a self-evident categorical imperative really necessary to ground moral statements? His emphasis is misplaced as well. Why get worked up over a priori synthetic categories when Kant’s noumena had even dimmer implications for the possibility of knowing reality?

The good:

The second part makes much better reading. The chapters which relate to man include interesting topics which the author handles well. One chapter discusses happiness, and Adler draws a well sketched distinction between philosophical happiness and psychological contentment. In the next chapter, the author takes up free will, presenting a remarkably good critique of determinism.

Adler’s focus on the “little things at the beginning” of any mistake is a solid keystone. So his general criticism of modern philosophers, including Descartes, Spinoza and Leibnitz, who build idiosyncratic systems from the ground up, is well placed. Even in the first part, the author doesn’t get hung up too long on one problem alone, and the book has the distinct advantage of getting better as it goes along.

Conclusion:

My score reflects my own experience. Non-fiction writers appeal differently to different people, and other readers may like the writing better. This is a book of uneven chapters, some opaque and others illuminating. I’d recommend it first to people who have at least some background in philosophy and a familiarity with the writings of the seventeenth-century philosophers. ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Michael Holm rated it liked it

Shelves: re-read, philosophy

Adler identifies himself as a student of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, admitting that a better title for this book would be 'Ten Subjects About Which Philosophical Mistakes Have Been Made'. I was intrigued by the title of the book when I bought it. There is a chapter for each of the philosophical mistakes Adler finds in modern philosophy. By modern philosophy Adler means primarily John Locke, David Hume and Immanuel Kant although a few others are mentioned. I hope the following cursory summaries ...more

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