Albert Schweitzer's ethical vision : a sourcebook

261 Pages·2009·0.84 MB·English

by  Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer’s
Ethical Vision
A Sourcebook
This page intentionally left blank
Albert Schweitzer’s
Ethical Vision
A Sourcebook
edited by
predrag cicovacki
3
2009
3
Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further
Oxford University’s objective of excellence
in research, scholarship, and education.
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offi ces in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
All essays reprinted with permission of Rhena Schweitzer Miller.
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schweitzer, Albert, 1875–1965.
[Essays. English. Selections]
Albert Schweitzer’s ethical vision : a sourcebook / edited by Predrag Cicovacki.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-537788-0; 978-0-19-537789-7 (pbk.)
1. Ethics. I. Cicovacki, Predrag. II. Title.
B2430.S374A25 2009
170—dc22 2008025761
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Contents
Introduction , 3
Part I A Foundation of the Ethics of Reverence for Life:
Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy of Civilization
1. Western and Indian Thought, 33
2. The Historical Jesus, 45
3. The Kingdom of God, 55
4. Religion in Modern Civilization, 75
5. The Decay of Civilization, 8 5
Part II The Ethics of Reverence for Life
6. Civilization and Ethics, 103
7. The Optimistic Worldview in Kant, 115
8. Schopenhauer and Nietzsche’s Quest for Elementary Ethics, 123
9. Reverence for Life, 135
10. The Ethics of Reverence for Life, 153
11. The Problem of Ethics in the Evolution of Human Thought , 165
vi contents
Part III “My Life Is My Argument”: The Application of the Ethics
of Reverence for Life
12. Bach and Aesthetics, 179
13. Goethe the Philosopher, 193
14. Gandhi and the Force of Nonviolence , 209
15. The Problem of Peace in the World of Today , 217
16. My Life Is My Argument, 229
Chronology, 243
Bibliography, 2 47
Index , 251
Albert Schweitzer’s
Ethical Vision
A Sourcebook
This page intentionally left blank
Introduction
I have given up the ambition to become a great scholar, I want to
be more— simply a human.
—Albert Schweitzer
I. Schweitzer’s Life
A narrow path leads uphill from the village of Gunsbach, into the
thick woods. After a fi ve-minute climb, one comes to a clearing with
a huge rock and a beautiful view of the Munster valley beneath.
This place was Albert Schweitzer’s favorite spot. Since 1969, next to
the rock, there rises a monument in honor of Schweitzer. Built out
of Alsatian sandstone, the monument is the work of Fritz Behn, a
disciple of Auguste Rodin. The monument is located at this hidden
spot, rather than in front of Schweitzer’s house, because he wanted
it that way: “It is there I should like to remain in stone, so that my
friends could pay me a visit, devote a thought to me, and could listen
to the murmur of the river, the music that accompanied the fl ux of
my thoughts. It is on this rock that civilization and ethics was born
and the Jesus in his epoch emerged to me. There I feel completely at
home.” 1
1. Quoted from the Web site of the Albert Schweitzer Museum in Gunsbach, France: www.
schweit zer.org/english/assoc/asegun.htm.