[1] He was educated at Amherst College from 1911 to 1913 and at the University of Michigan where he obtained his BA in 1915 and MA in 1916.
He earned his PhD in philosophy from Harvard University in 1925; his dissertation was on "The Nature and Function of Authority".
[1] In 1932, he was appointed Obed J. Wilson Professor of Ethics and Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati.
He argued that an explanation of the unity of mind and body was still required but dualistic interaction was the best option to account for the evidence of experience.
[4] His son Howard Mark Roelofs was professor emeritus of New York University.