This "little gem of a book" shares the Nobel laureate's profound insights on ethics, ecology, human rights, and more (Jane Goodall).
The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to the betterment of mankind. In 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life-and for the many ways he put that philosophy into action. This volume gathers together his thoughts on this profound and deeply influential concept.
Based on a fundamental respect and compassion for all living things, Schweitzer's philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting drives of egoism and altruism. He applied this ethical perspective to a host of topics, from war and peace to arts, animal rights, and forming a global community.
Reverence for Life draws on Schweitzer's diverse writings across decades, including excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others. A foreword by former US Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer's life round out this essential volume.
Autorentext
Albert Schweitzer, OM (14 January 1875 - 4 September 1965) was a German-and later French-theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary in Africa, also known for his interpretive life of Jesus. He was born in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire. He considered himself French and wrote in French. Schweitzer, a Lutheran, challenged both the secular view of Jesus as depicted by historical-critical methodology current at his time in certain academic circles, as well as the traditional Christian view.
He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life", expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, now in Gabon, west central Africa (then French Equatorial Africa). As a music scholar and organist, he studied the music of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach and influenced the Organ reform movement (Orgelbewegung).
Zusammenfassung
This book has a collection of Schweitzer's quotations on ethics and the human spirit. The emphasis is on the importance of the reverence for life and how following that ethic leads us to what is essential for civilization. The table of contents: Introductory Note; Feeling for Animal Life; Respect for Life; Mutual Knowledge; Riddles of Existence; The Meaning of Philosophy; Goethe; The Sanctuary of Thought; Religion Is Not a Force; When Thinking Was Religious; What Do I Think? A New Ethical System Needed; Reverence for Life; Human Awareness; The Goal of True Thought; The Only Way to Save Ourselves; Among the Africans; The Will to Live.