The Ethical Culture Movement Apr. 2013 | Page 9

Felix Adler, a German-American educator and social reformer is the founding father of the Ethical movement. However, contrary to many other religions, he is not considered flawless and his views are not considered the ultimate truths and can

be contested.

However, his main beliefs are still regarded the cornerstone of the Ethical Society.

Felix Adler was born in 1851 to Samuel Adler, a prominent figure in Reform Judaism. The Adler family moved from Germany to the United States in 1857, when Samuel was offered a position as head rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in New York. (Ethical Culture

Fieldston School)

Felix studied to become a rabbi but decided to diverge from his father’s path. He studied at Columbia and spent some time studying abroad at Heidelberg University. This was influential in developing his beliefs. He was predisposed to Neo-Kantian ideas, which he incorporated into the principles of the Ethical Society. He adopted the belief that morality could be achieved

autonomously and without theology. (Ethical Culture Fieldston School)

Upon his return to the United States in 1874, he began teaching Oriental literature and Hebrew at Cornell University. In 1902, he became the chair of political and social ethics at Columbia University, which he held until his death in 1933. Adler established the New York Society for Ethical Culture in 1876 when he was only 24 years old. (Ethical Culture Fieldston School)

Felix Adler

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Figure 2.