Reverence for Life Albert Schweitzer's Great Contribution to Ethical Thought

Albert Schweitzer maintained that the idea of "Reverence for Life" cameupon him on the Ogowe River as an "unexpected discovery, like a revelation inthe midst of intense thought." While Schweitzer made numerous significantcontributions to an incredible diversity of fields - medicine, music, biblicalstudies, philosophy and theology - he regarded Reverence for Life as hisgreatest contribution and the one by which he most wanted to be remembered. Yetthis concept has been the subject of a range of distortions andmisunderstandings, both academic and popular. In this book, Ara Barsam providesa new interpretation of Schweitzer's reverence and shows how it emerged from hisstudies of German philosophy, Indian religions, and his biblical scholarship onJesus and Paul. By throwing light on the origin and development of Schweitzer's thought, Barsamleads his readers to a closer appreciation of the contribution that reverencemakes to current ethical issues. Whereas previous commentators have focused on"reverence for life" as a philosophical ethic located in that tradition, thisbook demonstrates that it is in fact Schweitzer's theology that provides thehitherto undiscerned foundation for his ethic. Even among those who heraldSchweitzer as the one who brought "reverence" to Christianity, there exists atendency to underemphasize how his thinking also developed from his pivotalencounter with Indian religions. As Barsam shows, it is impossible to grasp thenature and the significance of Barsam's contribution without addressing thatlink. Life-centered ethics - in the broadest sense - have continued to flourish, yetSchweitzer's pioneering contribution is often overlooked. Not only did he helpestablish the issue on the moral agenda, but, most significant, he also providedmuch sought after philosophical and theological foundations. Schweitzer emergesfrom this critical study of his life and thought as a remarkable individual whoshould rightfully be regarded as a moral giant of the twentieth-century.