Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Interdependence and the Biblical Legacy of Anthropocentrism : On Human Destructiveness and Human Responsibility

Svenungsson, Jayne LU orcid (2018) In Eco-Ethica 7. p.35-47
Abstract
This article engages with the biblical legacy of anthropomorphism from a contemporary perspective. First, it revisits the biblical creation myth and questions the deeply ingrained notion that what it offers is an account of ‘creation out of nothingness.’ Second, this rereading is followed by a closer look at how this particular theology was elaborated by Hans Jonas in his philosophy of life. In the final part of the paper, Jonas’s philosophy of responsibility is linked to a reflection on humanity’s unique capacity for destruction and self-destruction. Contrary to much of contemporary posthumanism, it is argued that a recognition of the interdependence between the human and the non-human worlds must never be a matter of erasing the... (More)
This article engages with the biblical legacy of anthropomorphism from a contemporary perspective. First, it revisits the biblical creation myth and questions the deeply ingrained notion that what it offers is an account of ‘creation out of nothingness.’ Second, this rereading is followed by a closer look at how this particular theology was elaborated by Hans Jonas in his philosophy of life. In the final part of the paper, Jonas’s philosophy of responsibility is linked to a reflection on humanity’s unique capacity for destruction and self-destruction. Contrary to much of contemporary posthumanism, it is argued that a recognition of the interdependence between the human and the non-human worlds must never be a matter of erasing the distinction between them, since such a blurring of distinctions runs the risk of overshadowing the uniqueness of human destructiveness and thereby of undermining a serious discussion of human responsibility. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
interdependence, anthropocentrism, responsibility, Hans Jonas, Genesis, creation myth, posthumanism
in
Eco-Ethica
volume
7
pages
35 - 47
ISSN
2186-4802
DOI
10.5840/ecoethica20187251
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e37096aa-fabe-41ed-905c-28c0e78939e5
date added to LUP
2018-11-22 11:57:40
date last changed
2018-11-23 18:46:57
@article{e37096aa-fabe-41ed-905c-28c0e78939e5,
  abstract     = {{This article engages with the biblical legacy of anthropomorphism from a contemporary perspective. First, it revisits the biblical creation myth and questions the deeply ingrained notion that what it offers is an account of ‘creation out of nothingness.’ Second, this rereading is followed by a closer look at how this particular theology was elaborated by Hans Jonas in his philosophy of life. In the  final part of the paper, Jonas’s philosophy of responsibility is linked to a reflection on humanity’s unique capacity for destruction and self-destruction. Contrary to much of contemporary posthumanism, it is argued that a recognition of the interdependence between the human and the non-human worlds must never be a matter of erasing the distinction between them, since such a blurring of distinctions runs the risk of overshadowing the uniqueness of human destructiveness and thereby of undermining a serious discussion of human responsibility.}},
  author       = {{Svenungsson, Jayne}},
  issn         = {{2186-4802}},
  keywords     = {{interdependence; anthropocentrism; responsibility; Hans Jonas; Genesis; creation myth; posthumanism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{35--47}},
  series       = {{Eco-Ethica}},
  title        = {{Interdependence and the Biblical Legacy of Anthropocentrism : On Human Destructiveness and Human Responsibility}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/ecoethica20187251}},
  doi          = {{10.5840/ecoethica20187251}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}