The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer as an Inspiration for Global Ethics
The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer as an Inspiration for Global Ethics

Summary/Abstract: Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) was a fascinating person, a multivalent icon, mostly known as a doctor in the primeval forest of Africa. There he elaborated the ethics of boundless responsibility towards all living beings as a treatment for the restoration of a decadent civilization. Until his death, Schweitzer was struggling to elaborate a worldview of reverence for life that would be embraced by all religions and cultures. His ethics should be universally true for all people, regardless of time, place, or cultural background. In this article we present his worldview of reverence of life in a critical way. It will be emphasized that Schweitzer was not aware enough that his philosophy was culturally, religiously, historically, and also personally (biographically) conditioned, since it is impossible for anybody to step out of his or her historical and cultural backgrounds. He limited his ethical reflection to the individual sphere and did not allow for any ranking among living beings on a theoretical level. Despite these critical observations, reflection of the immediate experience of the human condition could be in our opinion a good starting point to understand the shared common morality of all humans. We are convinced that his ethical thoughts and seeing him as a role model can stimulate the search for global ethics today.

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