Back to Nature: A Jonasian Approach to the Problem of Mankind’s Excessive Exploitation of the Natural Environment

This article, informed by the current situation of technological advancements, analyzes and discusses solutions to it as presented by the Jewish Philosopher, Hans Jonas, who is believed to have “prophesied†ahead of his time. In this paper, I argue that what Jonas concurred in his days is more binding at the moment and will continue to reverberate for ages to come. In an attempt to discuss the Jonasian contribution to the issue of environmental protection and preservation, which touches on the ethics of responsibility, sandwiched by other contemporary thoughts that matter, I add another voice to the palaver of environmental protection. I argue primarily for the need for a conscious use of the environment, for an ethics and for the positive involvement of policy makers on the issue. I strongly stress the importance of implementing the Jonasian categorical imperative; “Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life†. My conclusion is that without an ethics of responsibility the future of mankind and of the whole biosphere is at stake. It is an ethical call to individual consciences – an ethics of the “first person.â€