El diálogo metafórico de "El principio de responsabilidad" con el gnosticismo

Abstract

The Metaphorical Dialogue of Das Prinzip Verantwortung with Gnosticism

In this article we study how The Gnostic Religion, Hans Jonas’ youthful work, determined his masterpiece, The Principle of Responsibility. On the one hand, Jonas spoke of existentialism as a new Gnosticism, since both movements speak of being thrown, of the anguish of living, etc. His ethical proposal is, in fact, a fight against the old vertical ethics, and against the “acosmic” vision. However, some of the Gnostic ideas served as inspiration for the development of key concepts of his principle of responsibility: the “eternal portrait” before which humanity must look itself in the mirror; the excess of one’s own power is the cause of disaster; fear as the “first duty”; etc. The way to achieve new forms of ethics that respond to the challenges of the future must happen –as in the case of Jonas– by rediscovering alternative imaginaries to the Western one. These will inspire and nourish us with concepts that are now forgotten.