Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision
A Sourcebook
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:19th Feb '09
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Albert Schweitzer's leading philosophical idea was "reverence for life": good consists in maintaining and perfecting life, evil in destroying and obstructing life. For Schweitzer, all life is sacred, and ethics deals with human attitudes and behavior toward all living beings. Unlike most other moral philosophers, Schweitzer argues that knowledge of human nature does not lead to any unique moral theory. For that reason, he bases his ethics on much broader foundations, articulated in his philosophy of civilization and philosophy of religion. His central idea is that the material element of our civilization has become far more important than its spiritual counterpart. Even organized religion has put itself in the service of politics and economics, thereby losing its vitality and moral authority. Schweitzer's ethics of reverence for life, argues Predrag Cicovacki, offers a viable alternative at a time when traditional ethical theories are found inadequate. Collecting fifteen of Schweitzer's most effective essays, this volume serves as a compelling introduction to this remarkable thinker.
In his lifetime Albert Schweitzer was admired throughout the world as a paragon of moral excellence. President John F. Kennedy called him 'one of the transcendent moral influences of our century.' Rachel Carson dedicated Silent Spring to Dr. Schweitzer, launching the modern environmental movement? * she called Schweitzer 'the one truly great individual our modern times have produced.' By bringing together in one volume so many of Schweitzer's most important writings on ethics, introduced by his own superb summary and assessment of Schweitzer's philosophy of reverence for life, Predrag Cicovacki has made a major contribution to the exciting global re-awakening of interest in Schweitzer that is now underway.Lachlan Forrow, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and President of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship *
Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision is a valuable and wide-ranging collection of readings from Albert Schweitzer, the philosopher, theologian, musician, and medical doctor who argued for the ethic of reverence for life and tried to make his life his argument. This sourcebook is highly recommended for all those who wish to address ethical issues in the world today and who seek, like Schweitzer, to advance the cause of humanity. * Marvin Meyer, Director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute *
ISBN: 9780195377897
Dimensions: 155mm x 231mm x 18mm
Weight: 358g
264 pages