Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision

A Sourcebook
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-19-537789-7
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 264 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 451 g

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cicovacki, Predrag

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsethik, Weltethos
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie

Über Autor(innen)

Predrag Cicovacki is an associate professor of philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross.