Ethics, technique and scientific progress: an analysis of the principle of responsibility in Hans Jonas

Abstract

This paper examines the reading of Hans Jonas about the impact of new technologies on human and extra-humanlife. He highlights, in particular, that new technologies have assumed an excessive power to the man, who bringsboth good and disastrous consequences, which may even lead to the extinction of the present and future life. He confirms that this significant increase in technical knowledge. Unfortunately, that was not proportional to the increase of human wisdom. So, our intention is to present, according to the understanding of Hans Jonas, the proposed review of the prevailing ethical levels along the western philosophical tradition; elucidating the main features of modern technology; presenting the shortcomings of traditional ethics before emerging problems in the contemporary world; circumscribing how ethical principle of responsibility emerges and showing how extent scientific progress demands ethical prudence. Therefore, we support the idea that the ethics of Hans Jonas goes beyond the anthropocentric relationship, promoting bio-cosmocentric ethics that includes the extra-human, considering the development of ethical awareness and the responsibility of man to the present and future of life on the planet.