Book Review - Ten Philosophical Mistakes by Mortimer J. Adler.

At first I was puzzled by Peter Kreeft’s inclusion of this philosophical treatise in his list of must-read books. The first four chapters deal with metaphysics and epistemology - the foundation of philosophy that deals with existence, knowledge, language: how it is possible to know anything, what it means to know something, and how we derive knowledge from our senses and reasoning and communicate with each other about such things. These topics seem esoteric and not readily digestible by the Everyman that Adler wrote for. 

However, having laid the foundation, the author proceeds into areas of human existence and behavior. This includes moral values, happiness, freedom of choice, human nature, society, and ultimately what being human means. 

A foundational question: what is the basis for moral values? Is there any way to establish objective and absolute values, or must they be (are they) subjective and relative? Adler summarizes several philosophers’ attempts to define ‘good’ and their approaches to trying to establish a basis for such judgments. And he points out the error of each. It is these subtle but foundational errors that have led to such disaster in modern thought and hence in society. (This was published in 1985, before modern political correctness had become the norm.) The fundamental prescriptive statement depends on the definition of ‘good’. We ought to desire what is truly good. What is the basis for final ends? We must not confuse means with ends, but we must also not confuse moral virtue with a happy life.  Striving to eliminate social or political evil depends on your definition of evil. Working to bring the greatest good for the greatest number still begs the question of what is ‘good’.

What is not addressed in this book (being a philosophy treatise and not a theology textbook), is discussion of divine revelation, of absolute truths as ordained by God and given to man. The Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, do not define good based on an appeal to our conscience, but because God who created all things says so, and because He knows and reveals what is best for us. While the external evidence of creation cries out God’s glory, linking that to prescriptive judgments for human behavior requires a separate revelation. We have that revelation both in Scripture and in God speaking directly to us in our conscience. (Romans 1) Intellectual sparring with unbelievers who call themselves philosophers will not convince them because of the Fall, and the sin nature of man. Much less will intellectuals in rebellion against God believe that the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross can redeem individuals from the power and consequences of sin. This theological reality is absent from philosophy. That, in my view, is the overarching philosophical mistake. But this book makes you think about these questions.