Philosophical Underpinnings of Environmental Ethics: Theory of Responsibility by Hans Jonas

This article considers philosophical underpinnings of environmental ethics as the ethics of human responsibility for being of life, life of man and life of nature. This interpretation of environmental ethics is expressed in the theory of responsibility by Hans Jonas. Drawing on the total axiologization of being, Jonas substantiates a new way of a man's being as “nature's trusted person”. This paper features a reflexive analysis of the theory of responsibility by Hans Jonas. The presupposition of this theory is that the humanity can perish, but death can be avoided. Fear is exactly what can help preventing destruction of the humanity. In contrast to Hans Jonas the authors of this article assume that the “heuristics of fear” is not enough to turn the pre-apocalypse tide. As the authors argue, it is crucial to instill modern industrial civilization with a new (noospheric, environmental-ethical) development vector. The practical significance of Hans Jonas’ theory of responsibility is illustrated by the examples of environmental ethics and sustainable development concept.