Felix Adler

Born in Germany in 1851 and raised partly in the United States, Felix Adler became one of the best-known moral thinkers and public lecturers of his time. He studied in New York and in Germany, and his ideas grew out of philosophy, religion, and a deep interest in social reform.

In 1876, he founded the New York Society for Ethical Culture, building a movement centered on ethics, human dignity, and service rather than doctrine. He also taught political and social ethics at Columbia University and became widely known for speaking and writing about education, labor, poverty, and civic life.

Adler's influence reached into practical reform as well as ideas. He helped promote projects tied to better housing, nursing, and schooling, and he remained a leading voice in Ethical Culture until his death in 1933. Today he is remembered as a thinker who tried to connect moral ideals with everyday action.