Publisher Description
In this delightfully lucid and accessible book, America’s foremost philosopher, Mortimer J. Adler, explores ten errors in the development of modern thought and examines the serious consequences they have in our everyday lives. Some of these mistakes include: (1) The mistake of identifying happiness with a good time rather than with that which is good for us; (2) The failure to differentiate between the perceptual and the conceptual realms of thought, by which the human mind is distinguished from the animal mind; and (3) The failure to acknowledge free will, which leads to the rejection of moral responsibility. Adler feels it is not too late to reverse the tide of escalating misconceptions and learn to live richer and happier lives. It is only unfortunate that in modern times, he says, “Much has been lost that might have been avoided if ancient truths had been preserved.”
Download and start listening now!
“Adler’s expositions are clear, well-organized, written in a simple style and studded with examples to help the uninitiated grasp difficult distinctions—all that one would expect from a gifted teacher.”
—
San Francisco Chronicle
About Mortimer J. Adler
Mortimer J. Adler (1902–2001), an American philosopher, educator, and popular author, served as the chairman of Encyclopaedia Britannica’s board of editors, was the founder and director of the Institute for Philosophical Research, and was an honorary trustee and founder of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He authored the well-known How to Read a Book and the intellectual autobiography Philosopher at Large and was coeditor, with Charles Van Doren, of Great Treasury of Western Thought, declared the Reference Book of 1977 by the American Library Association.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.