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The life and thought of Hans Jonas: Jewish dimensions

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posted on 2023-06-08, 06:00 authored by Christian Wiese
Hans Jonas (19031993) is one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. Born in a German Jewish community in the Rhineland, Jonass mentors included Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Rudolf Bultmann. The committed Zionist fled Germany in 1933 for Jerusalem, fought in the British Army against Hitler, and then left Israel for North America in 1949. Much of Jonass philosophy responds to contemporary historical and political challenges: mass society, totalitarianism, the Holocaust, nuclearism, environmental devastation (Chernobyl), and, later, the risks of genetic engineering. Wieses study examines how Jonass Jewish background influenced his intellectual development. Wiese shows how philosophical ethics and Jewish identity were two inseparable aspects of his thinking, with the fight against Nihilism as the most important link. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and exploring momentous encounters with major figures of 20th century life and letters like Gershom Scholem and Hannah Arendt, Wiese demonstrates how Jonas combined religious and philosophical elements in his thought, and offers new insights into the work of this eminent thinker.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Publisher

Brandeis University Press

Pages

280.0

ISBN

9781584656388

Series

The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry

Department affiliated with

  • History Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Contributors

Jeffrey Grossman

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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