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''A Syntopicon: An Index to The Great Ideas'' (1952) is a two-volume index, published as volumes 2 and 3 of Encyclopædia Britannica’s collection Great Books of the Western World. Compiled by Mortimer Adler, an American philosopher, under the guidance of Robert Hutchins, president of the University of Chicago, the volumes were billed as a collection of the 102 great ideas of the western canon. The term “syntopicon” was coined specifically for this undertaking, meaning “a collection of topics.”〔Adler, Mortimer J.. Syntopicon Booklet Draft, Box 4, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.〕 The volumes catalogued what Adler and his team deemed to be the fundamental ideas contained in the works of the Great Books of the Western World, which stretched chronologically from Homer to Freud. The ''Syntopicon'' lists, under each idea, where every occurrence of the concept can be located in the collection’s famous works. ==History== The ''Syntopicon'' was created to set the Great Books collection apart from previously published sets (such as Harvard Classics). Robert Hutchins, at the time, in addition to being the president of the University of Chicago, also served as Chairman of the Board of Editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Hutchins and Adler were recruited by the encyclopedia’s publisher for a “special idea”〔Allen, J. S. (1983). The romance of commerce and culture: Capitalism, modernism, and the Chicago-Aspen crusade for reform. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.〕 which would increase the collection’s marketability.〔Stevens, Anne H. "The Philosophy of General Education and Its Contradictions: the Influence of Hutchins." The Journal of General Education 50 (2001): 165–191〕 With this mission, Adler undertook a project that would consume over a decade of his life: identifying and indexing the western world’s Great Ideas. In the end, the ''Syntopicon'' would require over 400,000 man-hours of reading〔Adler, Mortimer J. Syntopicon Booklet Draft, Box 4, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library〕 and cost over two million dollars.〔Mortimer, Adler J. Letter to J. Loy Maloney. 11 Apr. 1950. Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library, Chicago, IL.〕 Britannica publisher Senator William Benton joked at the Great Books presentation dinner that “the Syntopicon is said to be the most expensive two volumes editorially in all publishing history. How Hutchins and Adler achieved that unique distinction, the publisher is still trying to figure out. (Clifton Fadiman) assured me some day the story will be told. I’d like it whenever I can get it.”〔Benton, William. "Great Books of the Western World." Encyclopædia Britannica. Presentation Dinner. Waldorf Astoria, New York City. 15 Apr. 1952.〕 The process of cataloging each appearance of one of the “Great Ideas” in all 431 works by 71 authors in the collection was so arduous that the ''Syntopicon'' nearly did not make it to print. Before it even came time to print, the budget had topped a million dollars and there was not even “a penny for paper” left.〔Adler, Mortimer J. Untitled Letter, Box 4, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.〕 Adler persevered, however, having spent the previous eight years of his life on the project. He single-handedly raised funds by selling more expensive “Founders Editions” of the sets, and disobeyed the order to fire his entire staff. There were times, during the process when he admitted: “the question was could we sell the plates for junk! Could we dispose of the plates as old metal?”〔 Adler felt, through it all, that he was creating something completely new. The ''Syntopicon'', he felt, would be revolutionary, its release on par with such events as the creation of the first dictionary. It would do for ideas what previous reference books had done for words and facts. He worked with a team of over 100 readers who met twice a week for years to discuss the readings and the ideas within them. Among his editorial team was a young Saul Bellow. In the end, he produced two volumes, which listed the 102 Great Ideas of the western world, from Angel to World. The set was released with much fanfare, including an honorary gifting of the first two editions to U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Elizabeth II. An internal memo from Encyclopædia Britannica, regarding a release party, reads: “The projected sequences of events is: (1) Mr. Hutchins kicks off the conference with a discussion of the Great Books movement, and the university’s and Britannica’s interest in the set; (2) Mr. Adler tells in detail of the contents of the set and the significance of the Syntopicon; (3) Cocktails.”〔Colvin, James. Letter to C. Scott Fletcher. 12 Apr. 1950. Encyclopædia Britannica Inter Office Correspondence. Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library, Chicago, IL.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A Syntopicon: An Index to The Great Ideas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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