Albert Schweitzer's ethical vision
Subtitle: a sourcebook
By: edited by Predrag Cicovacki.
Contributors: Cicovacki, Predrag.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
ISBN-13: 9780195377880; 9780195377897
Subjects: Ethics
Work titles: Essays.
Description: "The philosophy of Albert Schweitzer has proved widely influential in modern thinking, especially in the field of ethics. His leading ethical idea can be summarized in the phrase "reverence for life" - namely, that good consists in maintaining and perfecting life, and evil consists in destroying and obstructing life. For Schweitzer, all life is sacred. Ethics thus deals with human attitudes and behavior toward all living beings. Unlike many moral philosophers, Schweitzer argues that knowledge of human nature does not provide a sufficient foundation for any adequate moral theory. That is why he bases his ethics on much broader foundations, articulated in his philosophy of civilization and the philosophy of religion. Schweitzer argues that the material aspect of our civilization has become far more important than its spiritual counterpart. Even organized religion has put itself in the service of politics and economy, 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. Schweitzer's robust and un-dogmatic idealism may offer the best antidote to the prevailing relativism and nihilism of the postmodern epoch. His ethical vision directs us toward a new way of building a more just and more peaceful world. Collecting sixteen of Schweitzer's most effective essays, this volume serves as a compelling introduction to this remarkable thinker and humanist." -- Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p.         ) and index.
Table of contents: title: Western and Indian thought; title: The historical Jesus; title: The kingdom of God; title: Religion in modern civilization; title: The decay of civilization; title: Civilization and ethics; title: The optimistic world-view in Kant; title: Schopenhauer and Nietzsche's quest for elementary ethics; title: Reverence for life; title: The ethics of reverence for life; title: The problem of ethics in the evolution of human thought; title: Bach and aesthetics; title: Goethe the philosopher; title: Gandhi and the force of nonviolence; title: The problem of peace in the world today; title: My life is my argument.