A Gnostic Critic of Modernity: Hans Jonas from Existentialism to Science
This article addresses the ways in which the German-Jewish philosopher Hans Jonas (1903–1993) employed Gnosticism in his philosophical critique of modernity. Far from treating it as an “antiquarian concern” or attempting to “overcome” it, I argue that Jonas continuously used Gnosticism, including ne...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2018, Volume: 86, Issue: 1, Pages: 158-180 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Jonas, Hans 1903-1993
/ Gnosis
/ Nihilism
/ Criticism
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| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism BF Gnosticism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article addresses the ways in which the German-Jewish philosopher Hans Jonas (1903–1993) employed Gnosticism in his philosophical critique of modernity. Far from treating it as an “antiquarian concern” or attempting to “overcome” it, I argue that Jonas continuously used Gnosticism, including newly discovered texts from Nag Hammadi, as a well-spring of ideas that can be used to heal modernity. Through the application of Gnosticism, Jonas was able to lay bare not only the nihilism lurking in Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time, but also the philosophical shortcomings that were to culminate in Heidegger’s later “paganism” and his interrelated alliance with Nazism. Furthermore, I exemplify how Jonas reemployed Gnosticism again in his later years to critique modern scientific nihilism. The conclusion illustrates how Jonas employed to the utmost the threefold potential of this renegade late-antique religion: Gnosticism’s extravagant metaphysics; its suspicion of nature and fate; and its refusal of utter nihilism. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfx035 |