When were Hans Jonas born and when did he die?
Hans Jonas was born in Mönchengladbach on the 10th of May 1903, into a Jewish family. He died at his home in New Rochelle, New York, on the 5th of February 1993, at the age of 89.
Questions about Hans Jonas
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What did Hans Jonas find when he returned to Mönchengladbach after the war?
He returned immediately after the war to search for his mother and learned that she had been sent to the gas chambers at the Auschwitz concentration camp. After learning this, he refused to live in Germany again.
Why did Hans Jonas break with his mentor Martin Heidegger?
Jonas repudiated Heidegger in 1964 over Heidegger's 1933 affiliation with the Nazi Party. Jonas was Jewish and an active Zionist, and the association had likely disturbed him from the start.
What is Hans Jonas's moral imperative in The Imperative of Responsibility?
In The Imperative of Responsibility, published in German in 1979 and in English in 1984, Jonas wrote: 'Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life.' The book addresses the ethical problems created by technology and has been linked to the rise of the environmental movement in Germany.
Where did Hans Jonas teach in the United States?
From 1955 to 1976, Jonas was the Alvin Johnson Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He was also a fellow of the Hastings Center and, from 1982 to 1983, held the Eric Voegelin Visiting Professorship at the University of Munich.
What was Hans Jonas's position on abortion?
Jonas was against abortion, writing that 'a mother-to-be is more than her individual self' and that society held a 'social responsibility' toward pregnant mothers. He argued that leaving the decision entirely to individual choice 'oversteps the order of nature.'