Felix
Adler was a Jewish professor of political and social ethics who
founded the ethical culture (or ethical humanist) movement, a
philosophy of life that affirms our ability to find personal fulfillment
by leading an ethical and moral life, and a responsibility to
work towards the greater good of humanity, without the need for
religion or belief in a higher being. Felix Adler trained to become
a rabbi like his father, but his controversial views were not
well received by his father's congregation in New York when he
delivered his first sermon in 1874. Instead he became a professor
at Cornel University and later at Columbia University. A follow-up
sermon he delivered in 1876 inspired the founding of the New York
Society for Ethical Culture the next year, and soon led to the
founding of similar societies in Philadelphia, Chicago and St.
Louis. Today, the American Ethical Union is a federation of 25
Ethical Societies in the United States, and it is a founding member
of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, representing
over 100 organizations in 40 countries.
