Respect for Life (An Autobiography by Albert Schweitzer)

Author: Albert Schweitzer (France)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In 20th-century Europe, Albert Schweitzer was a household name. Born in Alsace, France, in 1875, he was a versatile young man—both a theology doctor and a philosophy doctor, as well as an acclaimed organist and a scholar of Bach’s music. At the age of 38, he obtained a medical license and made a remarkable decision: to go to the continent, to that uncharted dark continent—Africa. Subsequently, he traveled to Lambarene in Africa (now part of Gabon) with his wife, where he established his own clinic to treat local residents. For sixty years, he persevered through hardships until his passing. Throughout his unique, rich, and long life, Albert Schweitzer not only outstandingly practiced the ethics of humanism but also frequently reflected on his life and thoughts. In fields such as religion, philosophy, and music, he published numerous works with the style of a writer and the depth of thought, and in his later years, he repeatedly called for peace against nuclear war, leaving behind a wealth of valuable documents.
As an Albert Schweitzer Collected Works edited according to his life timeline, the editors have combined Schweitzer’s key documents, highlighting the shining points of his life and thoughts, forming a relatively complete and systematic "Autobiography of Albert Schweitzer." This provides readers with reliable and vivid documents to understand Schweitzer’s life and study his thoughts. Among the great figures of the 20th century, Schweitzer is a noteworthy individual: he was not only an activist in humanism but also a unique thinker. As a world-renowned figure, he embodied the perfect combination of the ancient Greek ideal of personal holistic development and the Christian spirit of universal love. As a scholar of Indian and Chinese thought, he also represented the integration of Eastern and Western cultures. Einstein once praised him: "In the 20th-century Western world, Schweitzer was the only person with an international moral influence comparable to Gandhi." He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.
Albert Schweitzer had a high international reputation but limited recognition in his home country. His book reverence for life had a significant impact domestically, and his ethics of reverence for life were cited by renowned scholars such as Ren Keli. Some of his articles were included in moral education readers for middle and high school students. This book provides Chinese readers with the most detailed and complete materials to date for understanding and studying the life and thoughts of Albert Schweitzer.