Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education (MAE)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Anne Kaufman

Second Advisor

Velma Lashbrook

Third Advisor

Joe Erickson

Abstract

While quite young, Albert Schweitzer was already a well regarded philosopher, a gifted musician, and a groundbreaking theologian when he became a medical doctor and devoted his life to service in equatorial Africa where he received the inspiration for his central ethic of Reverence for Life. A Schweitzer-based higher educational approach draws upon Schweitzer's life example in interweaving elements of academics, arts, spirituality, service, and the direct experience of nature. The academic content is grounded in complexity theory, a post-moderm discipline which expands upon Schweitzer's recognition that, "l am life that wills to live in the midst of life that wills to live" (1987, p. 309). The development of a practice of contemplative inquiry is the primary method for cultivating a deepened spiritual awareness. This paper provides evidence that a Schweitzer educational approach can contribute to individual self knowing and enhance the perception of meaning, purpose, and calling.

Identifier

SC 11.MAE.2008.Miller.JB

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