Abstract

Now approaching eighty, Mortimer Adler has just produced the best of his many philosophical writings. This is a precisely reasoned examination of previous arguments and a presentation of a new argument intended to show that God really exists. Without footnotes or many citations, the book gives clear evidence of its roots in Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, and recent science and philosophy. Adler thinks and writes as a "pagan": one who does not worship the God of Christians, Jews, or Moslems. Not denying the possibility of a religious philosophy, Adler chooses to appeal to the intelligent nonbeliever with a purely philosophical approach. The result is also of great interest to the believer. He does not aim at absolute certitude ; instead he regards his new way of reasoning as capable of producing a conviction that is beyond reasonable doubt. I think he achieves this goal but not every casual reader will understand and agree with Adler’s argument.