The new rationalism Albert Schweitzer's philosophy of reverence for life

Goodin (McGill Univ., School of the Environment) attempts to fill a void in literature on Albert Schweitzer by providing the philosophical underpinnings for his ethics of "reverence for life." Goodin finds this philosophical foundation in Schopenhauer, specifically the concept of "world as will," and Nietzsche, specifically the concept of "will as power." Schweitzer himself acknowledged his indebtedness to these two great German thinkers, though he never developed a detailed account of connections to his own ethical thinking. Goodin does a fairly satisfactory job of revealing those connections, but his analyses of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche are often superficial and tenuous, and seem to succeed only by twisting their ideas to fit the mold of Schweitzer's own creative philosophy. This is a difficult book to evaluate: on the one hand, Goodin does offer useful insights into many aspects of Schweitzer's proposed cultural revolution, from theological to environmental issues; on the other hand, his tone is far too apologetic toward the truly creative thinking of Schweitzer, which in a very strong sense really requires no philosophical foundation to give it intellectual respectability. Acceptable notes and index. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. P. A. Streveler emeritus, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Goodin (religious studies, McGill Univ., Montreal) examines the philosophical influences on Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) as he developed his reverence-for-life theory. Schweitzer viewed his theory as a "living philosophy of the people" in that it was intuitive and in direct contrast to the abstract ethical theories held by philosophers such as Kant. But he didn't explain, in a systematic way, how he formulated his philosophy, so he was met with criticism and his ideas were considered flawed. Goodin attempts to prove otherwise as he traces the evolution of a reverence for life by demonstrating Schweitzer's use of Schopenhauer's life-negating philosophy, that ethics can go beyond self-preservation and instead focus on compassion for all living beings, alongside Nietzsche's life-affirming philosophy to show how cultural truths are important to a living, ethical theory. VERDICT Readers with an interest in Schweitzer and his reverence-for-life theory will find this a rewarding work. Goodin's writing style and the ease with which he explains Schweitzer's philosophical views, and those of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, will engage both scholars and the general reader.-Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.