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Kindle
$17.16
Out of My Life and Thought: An Autobiography Kindle Edition
by Albert Schweitzer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 101 ratings
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Published to commemorate Albert Schweitzer's only visit to the United States 60 years ago, this anniversary edition of his autobiography gives 21st-century readers a unique and authoritative account of the man John F. Kennedy called "one of the transcendent moral influences of our century."
Schweitzer is celebrated around the world as a European pioneer of medical service in Africa, a groundbreaking philosopher and musical scholar, and a catalyst of environmental and peace activism. Yet people most revere Schweitzer for his dedication to serving others and his profound and influential ethic of reverence for life. For Schweitzer, reverence for life was not a theory or a philosophy but a discovery—a recognition that the capacity to experience and act on a reverence for all life is a fundamental part of human nature, a characteristic that sets human beings apart from the rest of the natural world.
This anniversary edition coincides with several high profile celebrations of his 1949 visit, as well as the release of a new feature film starring Jeroen Krabbe and Barbara Hershey. In addition to a foreword by Nobel Laureate and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, this edition features a new foreword by Lachlan Forrow, president of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Review
"Of the many highly esteemed books Albert Schweitzer penned in his life, he valued his autobiography the most. He had become a legend and he wanted to remind readers that he was just a man, and a man who had learned from many others. He had been fortunate to be in the right places at the right times, to meet people of thoughtfulness and sympathy. He wanted to report his debts to them. He wanted to clarify the reasons and methods for his undertakings and to respond to some of his critics. And, he wished to honor something greater than he was--life. 'Reverence for Life' became his life's motto and it brought him pain as well as joy as he sought to respect how precious and unique each life is. Schweitzer believed there was a way to live in the world, accept it, take joy from it--and whoc could know this better than a man who had placed himself so much in it, given so much to it, and been ready to receive experience as a gift for which to be thankful. First published in 1931, this edition of Albert Schweitzer's 'Out Of My Life And Thought' incorporates the great man's own revisions and aditions over thirty years, as well as an informative new foreword by Jimmy Carter. 'Out Of My Life And Thought' is 'must' reading for anyone who wants to know more about the life of this Nobel Peace Prize winner and his remarkable achievements and sacrifices." --'The Midwest Book Review'
About the Author
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1952. Although he proved himself highly gifted in science, theology, and music, and as an author, Schweitzer dedicated the later part of his life to medicine and to a hospital he founded in French Equatorial Africa. A true humanitarian, he used his Nobel Prize stipend to expand the hospital and to build a leper colony. His other titles available from Johns Hopkins University Press include 'The Quest of the Historical Jesus', 'The Primeval Forest', and 'The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle'.
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From other countries
Robert Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars He was very happy with it
Reviewed in Canada on 26 January 2017
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Purchased as a Christmas present for brother-in-law who had been looking for a copy. He was very happy with it :)
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Aran Joseph Canes
5.0 out of 5 stars The Twentieth Century’s Epitome of the Enlightenment
Reviewed in the United States on 22 October 2023
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Albert Schweitzer was a paragon of the twentieth century. A humanitarian devoted to treating the poor in Africa, an intellectual with important studies of early Christianity, one of the foremost interpreters of J.S. Bach and a man with a unique credo he hoped would reinvigorate world culture. While whole books could be written on any one of these, I will focus on the last; in particular whether his creed still bears relevance to the world of today.
In his early Christian studies, Schweitzer emphasized the eschatological: that is, he argued that the early Christians, including Jesus himself, believed in the prevalent Jewish worldview that the world was coming to an end. But Schweitzer thought the ethical teachings of Jesus endured, through the world of the Church Fathers, to the Middle Ages, to the current day.
A thorough man of the Enlightenment, he lamented that citizens of the twentieth century relied on prevalent opinions and did not think things through for themselves. Long germinating on a personal credo, Schweitzer found it in the ethos of reverence for life. All human beings should love the world: from microscopic organisms to high culture. Schweitzer thought this was fleshed out by the ethical teachings of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mount.
Clearly influenced by his vehement rejection of early Christian end of the world prophecy, he argued that the affirmation of this world, with all its suffering, was key to the right stance for modernity.
As for whether his credo still bears relevance, a dedogmatized Christianity that instead focuses on effecting positive change in the world seems precisely what most Christian churches are turning to. I question whether the historical Jesus would have allowed a separation from belief in his person and his ethics but that is another essay entirely.
As a critic, intellectual and humanitarian Schweitzer remains arguably the epitome of the Enlightenment in the 20th century. Encountering his life and thought is recommended to all.
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Tyler Wellman
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique window into the mind of Schweitzer and how he saw the world
Reviewed in the United States on 20 April 2013
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This book is valuable and deserving of five stars because it is the best place to get a window into Schweitzer's mind. It too helps you to see how and what he thought about him self, what was important in his life as he looked back on it.
It was surprising and somewhat discouraging to me how little he wrote about his wife. There is a bit about her early on, but very little towards the end as he more fully engaged in his ministry. I think it is indicative of the health of their marriage over time.
There are a few places in the book I became disengaged, namely where he goes on about his work with Bach and with organs.
Overall though I am so grateful for the book, it's influence on me, and that he took the time to write it.
8 people found this helpful
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Dt65
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2013
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Great book about a great man. I love the introduction of Jimmy Carter, one of the best president of the United States, a man of peace!
3 people found this helpful
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craigr1971
4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth a Look
Reviewed in the United States on 12 January 2014
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A very interesting look inside the mind of an iconic man of his time. To understand his thoughts and see how he dealt with obstacles is fascinating. A must for an history buff, medical enthusiast, or biography fan.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite phrase
Reviewed in the United States on 10 February 2016
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My favorite phrase among Schweitzer's words is the following (See page 157 of this book.), which I applied to my children.
"The man who has become a thinking being feels a compulsion to give to every will-to-live the same reverence for life that he gives to his own. He experiences that other life in his own. He accepts as good preserving life, promoting life, developing all life that is capable of development to its highest possible value. He considers as evil destroying life, injuring life, repressing life that is capable of development. This is the absolute, fundamental principle of ethics, and it is a fundamental postulate of thought."
24 people found this helpful
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Sharidean Flint
3.0 out of 5 stars Great man! Tough to read...
Reviewed in the United States on 30 April 2015
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This book was tough to read because it is soooo philosophical. He lived an amazing life and managed to making pretty boring. The last chapters are the best and if you can make it that far it is worth the read, but it is mostly uphill until then. A very inspiring life lived mostly for others and a truly Christian man.
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Grant H Abbott
5.0 out of 5 stars Reverence for Life
Reviewed in the United States on 6 October 2021
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Read the autobiography of this genius to learn where the idea of “reverence for life” came from and why it matters.
2 people found this helpful
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Linda
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Instructive
Reviewed in the United States on 19 June 2013
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I have found this book very instructive and enjoyable. I had no idea that Dr. Schweitzer had such a well developed interest in many subjects at a younger age before he decided to go to medical school and then Africa. It has prompted me to read further biographies of his life.
3 people found this helpful
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Renato S. N. Costa
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on 16 May 2010
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Reading the autobiography of any special woman or man, understanding "special" as someone whose thoughts and/or actions help to lead mankind to a happier future, is always moving and inspiring. Trying to emulate them is a must if we expect to prepare a better world for our children even knowing how far we still are of being like them.
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