Search Results

It has been said that there is no ethics without meta‐ethics: too true, Schweitzer would say. The philosophical ground‐plan against which Schweitzer operates — particularly Schopenhauer's and Nietzsche's metaphysics of the “will” — is explored in this chapter in order to understand Schweitzer's particular characterization of life as the “will‐to‐live”. Moreover, whereas previous commentators have focused on reverence for life as a philosophical ethic located in that tradition, this Chapter demonstrates that Schweitzer's theology provides the hitherto undiscerned foundation for his “ethical mysticism”.

Engaging with reverence, far from being a peripheral subject, requires us to grapple with some frontline issues in theology and ethics. Few theologians have provided detailed analyses of Schweitzer's work. But of these, two major theologians of the twentieth‐century, Karl Barth and Emil Brunner, have both lauded and criticized reverence for life. Their comments and objections to his “ethical mysticism” are addressed in Chapter Two. While critical, both support his concern for the lack of attention shown to non‐human species in ethical discourse, and even adopt some of these insights. Especially telling is Barth's engagement with reverence: his discussion of the “command of life” presents in theological terms some of the key concepts which Schweitzer masked in philosophical terminology, and thereby bringing Schweitzer out of the margins to the center of theology.

Schweitzer's preoccupation with Jesus' eschatology is his overarching concern with the triumph of reverence over both the loss of ethics in human society (what he normally calls the “decay of civilization”) and the “ghastly drama” of life divided against itself encountered in the natural world. Naturalism, particularly in the form of predation, is a dead moral trail. Ethics, therefore, requires a supranaturalistic, or more precisely eschatological, framework in order to flourish. Schweitzer's recently uncovered Lambaréné sermons, explored in Chapter Four, demonstrate how vital he regarded the discovery of eschatology to the rediscovery of ethics itself. In other words, it is difficult to discern the ethical motivation in this world without hope for another, better, world.

Contrary to the common view that reverence died in Lambaréné, modern theology, notably in its liberal Protestant and process forms, continues to be indebted to Schweitzer. In the telling confession of Paul Tillich, Schweitzer was with him “all my life since my student days.” In developing their own “ethic of life”, John Cobb and Charles Birch regard Schweitzer as “the one great Western twentieth‐century thinker who took seriously the value of all living things” and acknowledge his reverence for life as having a “spreading influence of others”. Chapter Six sets the stage for Schweitzer's contribution to the continuing debate on life‐ethics.

In the last chapter we confront directly the challenges which Schweitzer's ethic poses to contemporary theology and ethics. Chief among these are the mystical apprehension of the value of life itself; seeing one's attitude to life as a touchstone of ethics; and sensitivity to suffering life. What we learn from Schweitzer's concept is that the very notion of reverence cannot stand alone; the recognition of the value of life is almost wholly dependent on other philosophical and specifically religious presuppositions. It is the mystical apprehension of the value of life that lies at the core of Schweitzer's moment on the Ogowe River as well as his own life testimony.

In this chapter, Confucius and Master Zeng are talking about the proper filial activities of the Emperor as the son of tian. According to Confucius, “The Emperor who loves (ai) his own parents would not presume to hate the parents of others; he who respects (jing) his own parents would not presume to be rude to the parents of others. With love and respect being fully expressed in this service to parents, such conduct will educate and transform (dejiao) the common people, serving as exemplary in all corners of the world. Such, then, is the family reverence of the Emperor.” Confucius cites a passage in the Book of Documents which says: “Where this one person behaves so well in serving his parents, the entire population will look up to his example.”

Chapter 6 is divided into two sections. The first section presents an overview of the Mahayana Buddhist teachings on the perfection of wisdom, prajñāpāramitā. The second section seeks to articulate a contemporary understanding of wisdom. It divides the range of wisdom into six different characteristics from enlightened judgment to imagination, humor, composure and reverence. The chapter reflects on the role of wisdom in contemporary life.

Theater is the heir of a tradition that makes spaces sacred for religious ritual; only people who have been consecrated may enter such a space without transgression, that is, without a violation of reverence. The art of theater divides the watchers from the watched by placing the watched in a measured or defined space, such as a stage, a sanctuary, or a playing field. Space is usually defined externally in theater, but it may be defined more fluidly by actors as they move, especially if they are seen as consecrated in such a way that they change the meaning of the space they enter. Transgression of performers into watching space, or of audience into performing space, can be electrifying, but only if it is seen as transgressive, and occurs only if the space has been fairly well defined at the outset. Powerful theater sometimes leads to an altar call that draws the audience into sacred space and converts them from watchers to participants, closing down the theatrical nature of the event while opening something new.

Beginning in the latter half of the nineteenth century, Darwinism had a varied impact on American sensibilities. John Muir, for example, studied science and accepted the transmutative premise of evolutionary theory--but retained a biblically colored piety that saw God’s presence inscribed “in magnificent capitals” at places like Yosemite. During this extended period, writings by Mary Austin and Black Elk reflect their encounters with versions of naturalistic piety lying outside Euro-American ethnic traditions. Still, the written form in which Black Elk expressed his ecological vision of holiness, as imaged in the great hoop of the Lakota nation, was decidedly influenced by his contact with non-Indian culture. Although Rachel Carson was a committed scientist whose work presupposed belief in organic evolution, her writing also reflects a robust spirituality founded upon reverence for life and for the mystery of things unseen.

Every landscape is exotic, from the standpoint of those who stand apart from it or cannot know it fully, so that encounters with strange or forbidding landscapes may have sacred rather than escapist meaning. The exotic terrain of Southern swamps nurtured a distinctive form of religious life for maroon communities of African Americans, a spiritual legacy recalled in W.E.B. Du Bois’s Quest of the Silver Fleece. In Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez shows how a strange and forbidding place inspires reverence before the sacred mystery of all that the land contains, both visible and invisibly. A comparable reverence toward an elusive, nonhuman, and numinous presence informs the Himalayan quest narrative of Peter Matthiessen in The Snow Leopard. In the Watson trilogy, Matthiessen probes the spiritual ambiguities of American lawlessness and exposes the “desecration of Creation” that human “progress” has brought to Florida’s Everglades.

This chapter presents a brief conversation between Confucius and Master Zeng that sets the theme for the Classic of Family Reverence and extols the virtue of family reverence in both its personal and sociopolitical dimensions. Confucius explains to Master Zeng how the former kings were able to use the model of their consummate excellence (de) and their vital way (dao) to bring the empire into accord (shun), and how the people on this account were able to attain harmony (he) and to live with each other as good neighbors. According to Confucius, it is family reverence (xiao) “that is the root of excellence, and whence education (jiao) itself is born,” and that xiao “begins in service to your parents, continues in service to your lord, and culminates in distinguishing yourself in the world.”

Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, was the foremost royalist statesman of his age and the writer of the most influential book on English history ever written, his ‘History of the Rebellion’ through which he had lived. This chapter attempts for him what Chapter 9 tries to do for Milton: to find the threads of intense conviction that held his life and writing together. It explores both his religious and his political beliefs and explains their interaction.

Despite the differences between Michael Slote and Iris Murdoch—and between them and the book's Neo-Confucian sources—Slote and Murdoch make excellent conversation partners on the subject of harmony, offering important insights and clarifications, while at the same time they are rewarded with ideas from the Confucian tradition that complement or improve their own views. The key points of dialogue include the following: (1) Drawing on Slote, Confucians can distinguish between particularist and aggregative caring, which solves a long-standing problem about caring for strangers. (2) Drawing on the Confucians, Slote can better-ground his idea of “balanced caring” by recognizing the reverence we should have for what the Neo-Confucians call universal coherence. (3) After a few qualifications, Murdoch can help us (and Slote) to see how reverence for universal coherence can indeed play needed justificatory and motivational roles, but (4) Murdoch's appeal to a transcendent notion of Good needs either serious modification or rejection. Finally, (5) both Slote and Murdoch can learn from the Neo-Confucians about the proper ways in which we should value ourselves.

One recent trend in contemporary philosophy is thinking about the significance of the ancient practices that Pierre Hadot has labeled “spiritual exercises.” Just as philosophy was a “way of life” for ancient Western thinkers, so was Neo-Confucianism about much more than theories. This chapter explores Neo-Confucian teachings about the practice of ethical development from two perspectives. First, it considers the stages that an individual can go through on the way toward sagehood, including both “lesser learning,” with its central role for ritual, and “greater learning.” Brief attention is paid to relations between Neo-Confucian understanding of stages and those of contemporary psychologists studying moral development like Martin Hoffman and Lawrence Kohlberg. Second, it discusses the particular practices that were recommended by Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, and others. Among the practices the chapter examines, it puts particular focus on those related to “attention,” and especially on the central practice of “reverence.”

In this chapter, Confucius and Master Zeng are talking about the family reverence of the hereditary lords. According to Confucius, hereditary lords who are not arrogant are not in jeopardy of being toppled. “When they are frugal and impeccable in their conduct, though sufficient in their resources they are not extravagant. To be lofty in status without jeopardy is the way to preserve nobility; to be sufficient in their resources without extravagance is the way to preserve their wealth. With nobility and wealth secure in their persons, they are able to protect the altars to their lands and crops and bring harmony (he) to their people. Such, then, is the family reverence of the hereditary lords.” Confucius cites a passage in the Book of Songs which says, “Ever so cautious, as though peering over a deep precipice or treading upon thin ice.”

In this chapter, Confucius and Master Zeng are having a conversation about the family reverence of the ministers and high officials. According to Confucius, “If an article of dress is not sanctioned (fa) by the customs of the former kings, the ministers and high officials would not presume to wear it; if ways of speaking are not sanctioned by the customs of the former kings, they would not presume to use them…” Confucius further explains, “With dress, speech, and conduct being as they should be, ministers and high officials are able to safeguard their ancestral temples. Such, then, is the family reverence of the ministers and high officials.” He ends by citing a passage in the Book of Songs which says, “Whether night or day they are never remiss in their service to their one sovereign.”

In this chapter, Confucius is having a conversation with Master Zeng about the family reverence of the lower officials. According to Confucius, “The lower officials drawing upon their devotion to their fathers to serve their mothers, the love (ai) they feel toward them is the same; drawing upon their devotion to their fathers to serve their lord, the respect (jing) they feel for them is the same.” He insists that service to the lord with family reverence is loyalty (zhong), whereas service to elders with family reverence is compliance (shun). Confucius ends by citing a passage in the Book of Songs which says, “Rise early and retire late to make sure you never disgrace those who gave you life.”

In this chapter, Confucius and Master Zeng are talking about the family reverence of the common people. According to Confucius, “By making the most of the seasonal cycle (dao) and discriminating among the earth’s resources to best advantage, and by being circumspect in their conduct and frugal in what they use, they take proper care of their parents. Such, then, is the family reverence of the common people. Thus it is that for the Emperor down to the common people, the way of family reverence being inclusive and comprehensive, there should be no one concerned that they are inadequate to the task.”

In this chapter, Confucius and Master Zeng are talking about how family reverence links together the tripartite dimensions of the dao—that is, the intersection of the way of tian, the way of the earth, and the way of humankind. According to Confucius, “Family reverence is the constancy of the heavenly cycles, the appropriate responsiveness (yi) of the earth, and the proper conduct of the people.” He proceeds by saying that “The former kings saw that their teachings (jiao) were able to transform the people. Thus, setting their own example of magnanimity (boai) before the people, none of the people would neglect their parents; demonstrating excellence (de) and appropriateness (yi) in their own actions, the people were inspired to conduct themselves accordingly.” Confucius ends by citing a passage in the Book of Songs which says, “Illustrious Grand Tutor Yin, the people all look up to you.”