The Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry series
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-254) and index.
The fight for the dignity of the Jews : the impact of Zionism and the Holocaust on Jonas's biography and thought -- From the Rhineland to Jerusalem -- Against the "cult of power and contempt for humanity" -- Friendships and conflicts among German-Jewish émigré scholars -- "For a time i was privileged to enjoy his friendship" : the ambivalent relation to Gershom Scholem -- The mystery of Jewish existence and contested memories : impressions of Jonas's friendship with Hannah Arendt -- "Revolt against escapism" : Jewish dimensions of Jonas's ethics of responsibility -- The value of life : philosophical critique of nihilism -- Rotseh ba-hayyim : creation and responsibility for the "sanctity of life" -- De-messianized tikkun : human responsibility for the "Divine adventure."
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"Hans Jonas (1903-1993) is one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. This new study examines how Jonas's Jewish background influenced his intellectual development. Christian Wiese shows how philosophical ethics and Jewish identity were two inseparable aspects of Jonas's thinking, with the fight against Nihilism as the most important link Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and exploring momentous encounters with major figures of twentieth-century life and letters like Gershom Scholem and Hannah Arendt, Wiese demonstrates how Jonas combined religious and philosophical elements in his thought and offers new insights into the work of this eminent thinker."--Jacket.