Monday, June 8, 2009

Ethics - Good and Evil

"Ethics, too, are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, promoting, and enhancing life, and that destroying, injuring, and limiting life are evil."

ALBERT SCHWEITZER, Civilization and Ethics, 1949.

2 comments:

Christopher Maloy said...

I find it interesting that no one commented on this quote. This quote is one of the first ones I have seen that tries to define ethics (or as the title suggest good and evil) without using the word god, gods, or religion.

What are you thoughts TJ? Is there a universal good and evil?

If we take this quote literally can we justify the many "non-reverent" acts against life in our holy books?

Christopher Maloy said...

One more thought, how does this quote apply to our modern way of thinking and way of life? How does this quote apply to birth control, abortion, stem cell research ... you get the point. I am interested in hearing everyone's point of view on this. Please leave comments.