The Philosophy of Hans Jonas

The Philosophy of Hans Jonas

Freedom and Responsibility

von Angela Michelis

This book offers a compelling exploration of Hans Jonas’s philosophical legacy, focusing on the intertwined concepts of freedom and responsibility in relation to nature, ethics, and technology. Drawing on Jonas’s post–World War II writings, Angela Michelis traces his intellectual evolution from early studies of Gnosticism to his groundbreaking work in the philosophy of biology and ethics. The book presents Jonas’s dynamic conception of organic life and outlines his principle of responsibility as a planetary ethic for the age of ecological crisis. Combining biographical insight—based on exclusive interviews with Jonas’s wife Lore—with rigorous philosophical analysis, Michelis situates Jonas’s thought within contemporary debates on sustainability, anthropocentrism, and the moral obligations of humanity. This timely volume reaffirms Jonas’s relevance for today’s urgent ethical challenges and serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students in philosophy, environmental studies, and bioethics.

“This volume provides a comprehensive and original reconstruction of Hans Jonas’s philosophy. Moving beyond partial treatments in recent Anglophone scholarship, it offers the first systematic account of the conceptual architecture of freedom and responsibility, establishing Jonas as a foundational figure in contemporary debates on ethics, environmental responsibility, philosophical biology, and the philosophy of technology.”
–Damiano Bondi, Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy
This book offers a compelling exploration of Hans Jonas’s philosophical legacy, focusing on the intertwined concepts of freedom and responsibility in relation to nature, ethics, and technology. Drawing on Jonas’s post–World War II writings, Angela Michelis traces his intellectual evolution from early studies of Gnosticism to his groundbreaking work in the philosophy of biology and ethics. The book presents Jonas’s dynamic conception of organic life and outlines his principle of responsibility as a planetary ethic for the age of ecological crisis. Combining biographical insight—based on exclusive interviews with Jonas’s wife Lore—with rigorous philosophical analysis, Michelis situates Jonas’s thought within contemporary debates on sustainability, anthropocentrism, and the moral obligations of humanity. This timely volume reaffirms Jonas’s relevance for today’s urgent ethical challenges and serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students in philosophy, environmental studies, and bioethics.
Angela Michelis is a research fellow and adjunct professor in Philosophical Anthropology at the University of Turin. She has published essays in multiple languages and authored monographs on Carlo Michelstaedter and Hans Jonas. She serves on the boards of several academic institutions and journals in Italy and Brazil. Her work focuses on freedom and the relationship between humans and their social and natural environment.

Highlights

• Draws on exclusive interviews and unpublished material to illuminate Jonas’s intellectual journey Explores freedom and responsibility as core concepts in Jonas’s ethics of nature and technology Connects Jonas’s philosophy to urgent ecological debates with clarity and interdisciplinary

Über den Autor

Angela Michelis is a research fellow and adjunct professor in Philosophical Anthropology at the University of Turin. She has published essays in multiple languages and authored monographs on Carlo Michelstaedter and Hans Jonas. She serves on the boards of several academic institutions and journals in Italy and Brazil. Her work focuses on freedom and the relationship between humans and their social and natural environment.