The Philosophy of Civilization
by Albert Schweitzer
On This Page
Description
Albert Schweitzer's social and ethical philosophy is best expressed in The Philosophy of Civilization. Not widely available in recent years, this edition will give contemporary readers the opportunity to discover his prophetic thought. In Book I, The Decay and Restoration of Civilization, Schweitzer argues that the essential feature of every culture is its world view, and that a culture can be healthy and stable only as its world view is optimistic and ethical. Without this outlook, it is show more impossible to avoid the world's destruction. In Book II, Civilization and Ethics, he reviews the world's major ethical systems in search of the essential principle of "the moral," after which the world and life-affirming ethic of "reverence for life" is set forth. Through Schweitzer's guidance, man will strive for spiritual and ethical self-fulfillment which in turn may be actualized in all the processes of the world, making us a truly civilized people. Schweitzer's ultimate goal is to help us recognize that the source of universal misery and catastrophe is the absence of a theory of the universe. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Comprising in one volume: Part I -- The Decay and the Restoration of Civilization; and Part II -- Civilization and Ethics
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
164+ Works 4,955 Members
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), the son of a Lutheran pastor, was born in Alsace. He earned doctorates in both philosophy and theology, and later earned his medical degree. He was Professor of Theology at the Theological Seminary of St. Thomas in Strasbourg. He spent most of his life as a physician in Gabon, Africa, in the village of Lambarene; and show more in 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. He authored numerous works, including the renowned The Mystery of the Kingdom of God, The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle, and Out of My Life and Thought show less
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 144
- Popularity
- 227,181
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.40)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 5
