The Adler-Aquinas Institute

[markeverett49]

I stumbled across this link today:

adler-aquinasinstitute.org/

Mortimer Adler was an American philosopher who thought his three best teachers were Aristotle, Aquinas, and the French-Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.

From the mission statement of the Adler-Aquinas Institute (also know as AAI):

The Adler-Aquinas Institute was founded to provide a sound philosophical metaphysics (rooted in first principles grounded in sense wonder about the being of sensible things and faculties and habits of the intellectual soul) and a sound theology (rooted in revelation and the Magisterium consistently interpreting that revelation and the necessary conclusions therefrom), to open the minds of students to an appreciation of the spiritual as well as the scientific and humanistic inheritance of Western civilization.<<<<<

Sounds great to me! I’d love to hear from anyone who knows more about it.

 

[greylorn]

I stumbled across this link today:

adler-aquinasinstitute.org/

Mortimer Adler was an American philosopher who thought his three best teachers were Aristotle, Aquinas, and the French-Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.

From the mission statement of the Adler-Aquinas Institute (also know as AAI):

The Adler-Aquinas Institute was founded to provide a sound philosophical metaphysics (rooted in first principles grounded in sense wonder about the being of sensible things and faculties and habits of the intellectual soul) and a sound theology (rooted in revelation and the Magisterium consistently interpreting that revelation and the necessary conclusions therefrom), to open the minds of students to an appreciation of the spiritual as well as the scientific and humanistic inheritance of Western civilization.<<<<<

Thanks for the reference. I think that Aristotle had his head up his posterior, do not care for Aquinas, and have never read Maritain. But I loved Adler, so will check these folks out.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

I stumbled across this link today:

adler-aquinasinstitute.org/

Mortimer Adler was an American philosopher who thought his three best teachers were Aristotle, Aquinas, and the French-Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.

From the mission statement of the Adler-Aquinas Institute (also know as AAI):

The Adler-Aquinas Institute was founded to provide a sound philosophical metaphysics (rooted in first principles grounded in sense wonder about the being of sensible things and faculties and habits of the intellectual soul) and a sound theology (rooted in revelation and the Magisterium consistently interpreting that revelation and the necessary conclusions therefrom), to open the minds of students to an appreciation of the spiritual as well as the scientific and humanistic inheritance of Western civilization.<<<<<

Depends on what you want. This is a distance learning institure. I don’t think their degrees would count much but I’m no expert on such things. The price seems right and they seem to have a good faculty. I see Fr. Fessio is involved. He had some kind of dust up at Ave Maria University and left. If you have the money and time St Thomas is certainly worth studying in depth - won’t be easy.

On the other hand, I would learn something I could make a living with first! But perhaps you don’t need to worry about that. Philosophy is fine but most of us have to earn a living.

There is a Catholic " great books " college that is getting a lot of attention. But the tuition I would imagine is pretty high. They are just building a campus and you have to attend classes. Last I heard they are renting space in town. They are real traditional in their Catholicsm and insist you learn Latin.

 

[greylorn]

Thanks for the reference. I think that Aristotle had his head up his posterior, do not care for Aquinas, and have never read Maritain. But I loved Adler, so will check these folks out.

Alas, I checked out the link, and the phony halo around T.A.'s head on the home page should have been my first clue. I read onward anyway. Looks to me like a gaggle of Christian good-old-boys trying to make a buck on Mortimer Adler’s corpse.

Adler was looking for a new paradigm, and made that very clear in several of his writings. That’s why he complained about the absence of any new philosophical ideas in the last three centuries. These old boys are entrenched in old ideas, and should be sued by the Adler estate (unless that’s what they are) for doing nothing but perpetuating the sterility of new ideas.

Look at their web page. They’ll tell you how to spend your money (on them) but not where to send unique ideas for serious philosophical evaluation. Tiresome old fogies, IMO.

 

[St_Francis]

Alas, I checked out the link, and the phony halo around T.A.'s head on the home page should have been my first clue. I read onward anyway. Looks to me like a gaggle of Christian good-old-boys trying to make a buck on Mortimer Adler’s corpse.

SAINT Thomas Aquinas gets a halo.

Dr Adler was received into the Catholic Church n December, 1999.

 

[markeverett49]

Depends on what you want. This is a distance learning institure. I don’t think their degrees would count much but I’m no expert on such things.

Well, I have my bachelor’s and if circumstances permit me to finish work on my MA in theology—which would require a return to New Orleans–I’d get that from Notre Dame Seminary. I write songs and sometimes think, “If one of my songs became a hit and I made fifty grand or so, I’d be able to study philosophy with excellent teachers…”

I’m in my 50s, so I’m not looking for schooling in order to get a good job and make money. I’m poor and I’m used to it but what I can’t get used to is not understanding philosophy better than I do. I read well but learning philosophy requires kicking ideas around with other philosophers. That’s what I hanker after.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Well, I have my bachelor’s and if circumstances permit me to finish work on my MA in theology—which would require a return to New Orleans–I’d get that from Notre Dame Seminary. I write songs and sometimes think, “If one of my songs became a hit and I made fifty grand or so, I’d be able to study philosophy with excellent teachers…”

I’m in my 50s, so I’m not looking for schooling in order to get a good job and make money. I’m poor and I’m used to it but what I can’t get used to is not understanding philosophy better than I do. I read well but learning philosophy requires kicking ideas around with other philosophers. That’s what I hanker after.

O.K. Distance learning is out, since you have limited financial resources. There some good on-line sources for Aquinas :
Summa Theologica newadvent.org/summa/

Summa Contra Gentiles saintwiki.com/index.php?title=SCG_1.0

Being and Essence fordham.edu/halsall/basis/aquinas-esse.asp

Disputed Questions, De Potentia josephkenny.joyeurs.com/CDtexts/QDdePotentia.htm

Disputed Questions, De Anima josephkenny.joyeurs.com/C…/QDdeAnima.htm

Paper by Etien Gilson on the Cause of Being in Thomas A. payingattentiontothesky.com/2…tienne-gilson/

Links on Thomas Aquinas ( I have not examined these, no doubt some are defunct) aquinasonline.com/Links/

A Manual of Modern Scholastic Philosophy Vol 1, by Cardinal Mercier archive.org/details/amanualofmoderns01mercuoft

A Manual of Modern Scholastic Philosophy Vol 2, by Cardinal Mercier archive.org/details/manualofmodernsc02merc

Also, you might get some help from libraies. I know some libraries carry some philosophy books. I got The Last Superstition by Edward Feser from my loal library.

Good luck.

 

[markeverett49]

O.K. Distance learning is out, since you have limited financial resources.

I wasn’t thinking about this primarily for myself. I was excited to see there is an Adler-Aquinas Institute, period.

My local library carries Feser’s “The Last Superstition” too. That’s how I chanced upon it. He mentions David Conway’s “The Rediscovery of Wisdom” and I got that via inter-library loan. I’ve ordered it again, as it’s been awhile since I read it.(I’m re-reading Feser’s book.) I get a lot out of reading books a second time, sometimes three and four times.

 

[JohnStephen]

Looks like a terrific group of top-knotch Catholic intellectuals (looks like around 50!). It will be interesting to see how their important goals on their website (adler-aquinasinstitute.org) are implemented over time. The articles posted there are fascinating and dead on for our times.

I think graylorn, above, very unintentionally gives the very reasons to SUPPORT the Adler-Aquinas Institute (he doesn’t like or understand Aquinas amd Aristotle and never heard of Maritain - seriously!). Adler loved Aquinas, Aristotle and Maritain and converted to Catholicism in 2000. One compliments the other. Best of luck in their fine efforts!