Albert Schweitzer's Reverence for Life

Albert Schweitzer philosopher physician Nobel Peace Laureate theologian and musician developed a character-oriented ethics focused on self-realization nature-centered spirituality and moral idealism which anticipated the current renaissance of virtue ethics. Schweitzer's idea of 'reverence for life' underscores the contribution of moral ideals to self-realization connects ethics to spirituality without religious dogma and outlines a pioneering environmental ethics that bridges the gap between valuing life in its unity and valuing individual organisms. In this book Mike W. Martin interprets Schweitzer's 'reverence for life' as an umbrella virtue drawing together all the more specific virtues in particular: authenticity love compassion gratitude justice and peace loving each of which Martin discusses in an individual chapter. Martin's treatment of his subject is sympathetic yet critical and for the first time clearly places Schweitzer's environmental ethics within the wider framework of his ethical theory.