Hans Jonas: Life, Technology and the Horizons of Responsibility

Hans Jonas (1903–1993) was a German-Jewish philosopher who advanced phenomenology and practical ethics, confronting nihilism, the ecological crisis, and the transhumanist drive to biotechnologically enhance human beings. Lewis Coyne brings together his philosophy of life, ethic of responsibility, political theory, philosophy of technology, and bioethics in English for the first time, arguing that Jonas seeks to tackle these issues at their collective point of origin.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 21 April 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hans Jonas (1903–1993) was a prominent German-Jewish philosopher of the 20th century, who studied under Martin Heidegger and was a close friend of Hannah Arendt. Jonas made significant contributions to the fields of phenomenology and practical ethics, which are now gaining recognition in the English-speaking world. Lewis Coyne has brought together for the first time in English Jonas's philosophy of life, ethic of responsibility, political theory, philosophy of technology, and bioethics, drawing on unpublished and newly translated material. Coyne argues that Jonas's philosophy aims to address three critical issues inherent to modernity: nihilism, the ecological crisis, and the transhumanist drive to biotechnologically enhance human beings. While these issues may seem distinct, Jonas believes that they are interconnected and can be addressed at their collective point of origin. The book explores how Jonas develops a new categorical imperative of responsibility based on an ontology that recognizes the purposefulness and dignity of life. Reflecting on the current state of the world, Coyne emphasizes the urgency of Jonas's demand that humanity accept its newfound responsibility as the "shepherd of beings."

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 234 x 155 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350216662