Description:

Albert Schweitzer
n.p., October 20, 1952
Superb Albert Schweitzer Signed Speech on Ethics, with Numerous Corrections in His Hand! Ex-Collection of Steve Forbes
TMS
An outstanding content Albert Schweitzer typed manuscript signed for a lecture given at the French Academy of Science, "The Problem of Ethics in Higher Development of Human Thought," in German and with copious holograph corrections and emendations in his hand, 68pp. 8.5" x 10.75", N.p., October 20, 1952. Bears Schweitzer's signature on a label affixed to the first page, also bearing information about the lecture. On thin typewriter paper and in overall fair condition with fragility, particularly at margins, which exhibit chipping and toning. String loop at top margin, which regrettably has caused a few pages to adhere to one another. Most worthy of restoration! Ex. Collection of Steve Forbes.

This lecture comprises a superior exemplar of Schweitzer's work, as it truly encapsulates his philosophy of collectivism; the belief would garner Schweitzer a Nobel Prize for his humanitarian work! Indeed, Schweitzer would earn this prestigious award just year after this lecture.

The lecture is excerpted here in extreme small part. Schweitzer begins: "…According to the word ETHICS, borrowed from the Romance language, and MORAL, taken from Latin, human beings generally [have] ethical behavior. Not only our well-bring, but also that of others, and that for human society, must concern us. The first stage of the development of ethics is reached when the circles of solidarity with other people is expanding. For the primitive, solidarity has narrow limits…When [the human] begins to think, he becomes aware that this is what man is…He sees the circle of his responsibility expanding to cover all of the human beings he comes in contact with…"

Schweitzer then quotes eminent thinkers of the past such as Confucius, Lao Tzu and Zarathustra, as well as both Western and Eastern religious thought, to support his theory that ethical behavior stems from believing in the reverence of life. He continues: "…By its very nature, ethics is cosmopolitan. It wants for the good to be active and effective. From this it follows that the affirmation that the world is good has a significant influence on the higher development of ethics…world-widening…Only the ethics associated with the affirmation of the world can, of course, be complete…".

Schweitzer turns to discussing the concept of the "categorial imperative" pioneered by German philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose thought forms the basis of Schweitzer's own beliefs: "…Our conscience, he [Kant] judges…inherent moral law gives us the certainty…", continuing later: "…Ready-to-use versions of ethics and necessity are not kept in stock. It always demands of us that we decide for ourselves in each case to what extent we remain ethical and to what extent we must submit to the necessity and destroying of life and thereby become guilty.

Schweitzer continues: "...We must be increasingly seized by the desire to preserve life and promote life. In the concept of respect for life lies an elementary concept of responsibility to which we must surrender...In every aspect the world remains a mystery to man. But it is not the case that we are at a loss when faced with the problem of fiefdom, if we have to forego understanding of world events…Power makes no noise. It is there and works. True ethics begins where the use of words ends…This is the kind of progression that we have to deal with in complete ethics…As long as we only regard it as an ethic of duties and virtues, we are guided by stars that, however bright their shine, can only guide more or less reliably and can be obscured by a rising mist. In the starry night they let humanity down, as we are now experiencing. But if we arrive at ethics as the idea of respect for life that is necessary for thought, then this will bring a far-reaching ethical deepening of humanity…".

Much much more extraordinary content!!

As a child and later evinced in his creation of an eponymous hospital he established in 1913, in Lambaréné, Gabon (then French Equatorial Africa), Schweitzer deeply felt the suffering of all living things around him. This wonderful lecture fully expresses Schweitzer's pioneering work on ethics as being "Ehrfurcht von dem Leben" – the Reverence of Life. Schweitzer's belief and the concomitant belief in non-violence towards any living thing, was culled from much Indian religious thought and which he espoused in a letter from Lambaréné: "…I will never recognise objective differences in value between living beings. Every life is sacred!...".

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a modern Renaissance man. He was an accomplished organist, musical theorist, preservationist, theologian, church deacon, doctor, and philanthropist. Albert Schweitzer, a trained physician, and his anesthetist wife Helene Bresslau Schweitzer traveled to the Paris Missionary Society's mission at Lambaréné in present day Gabon (formerly French Equatorial Africa) to establish a hospital in 1913. The Albert Schweitzer Hospital opened in the same year and operated on revenue generated by Schweitzer's organ concerts and other fundraising efforts. Schweitzer would divide his time between the hospital and Europe for the next fifty years. According to one American visitor to the hospital, Schweitzer was still hammering away at his tropical weather resistant pedal piano at the age of 88 in 1962. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 in recognition of his lifetime commitment to charitable work.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Provenance: Ex. Collection of Steve Forbes.
  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 10.75"
  • Medium: TMS

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