Online Contemporary Issues Seminar SeriesThe Imperative of Responsibility by Hans JonasSunday, August 11, 2024
"Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life."
In this collection of essays, published in 1984, Hans Jonas rethinks the foundations of ethics in light of the awesome transformations wrought by modern technology: the threat of nuclear war, ecological ravage, genetic engineering, and so on. Though informed by a deep reverence for human life, Jonas's ethics is grounded not in religion but in metaphysics, in a secular doctrine that makes explicit man's duties toward himself, his posterity, and the environment. We invite you join this online series, reading each essay about one month apart.
August 11 Reading:
The Imperative of Responsibility by Hans Jonas
Chapter One - The Altered Nature of Human Action (pages 1-24)
University of Chicago Press (October 1985)
ISBN 978-0226405971
Schedule:
12:00-2:00PM PDT
Tutor:
Andy Gilman
Location:
Online. Register to receive the link.