# Hans Jonas

Existentialist philosopher of gnosticism, biology, and technological ethics who reformulated moral responsibility for the technological age.

**Lived:** 1903–1993 (b. Mönchengladbach, Germany)
**Nationality:** German and American
**Training:** Philosophy and theology at University of Freiburg, University of Berlin, University of Heidelberg; PhD in Philosophy from University of Marburg (1928) on Gnosticism under Martin Heidegger
**Affiliation:** New School for Social Research, New York (Alvin Johnson Professor of Philosophy, 1955–1976); Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Carleton University; Hastings Center fellow

## Key works

- *The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God & the Beginnings of Christianity* (1958)
- *The Phenomenon of Life: Toward a Philosophical Biology* (1966)
- *The Imperative of Responsibility: In Search of Ethics for the Technological Age* (1984)
- *Philosophical Essays: From Ancient Creed to Technological Man* (1974)
- *Mortality and Morality: A Search for the Good After Auschwitz* (1996)