Abstract:
This contribution draws on Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature and Hans Jonas’s philosophical biology to argue that their conceptions of nature and the living organism share a common foundational potential. This shared framework can support a theory of collective environmental responsibility and a renewed relationship between human beings and nature. By focusing on their respective accounts of the living organism, the paper shows how both Hegel and Jonas conceive the presence of spirit in nature and the emergence of freedom and subjectivity in living beings. Although nature is preserved rather than negated in spirit (in the Hegelian sense of Aufhebung), both philosophers acknowledge the distinctive status of the human being, which grounds responsibility for human action. The comparison reveals common theoretical challenges—Cartesian dualism, the mind–body problem, and determinism—which both thinkers address through a philosophy of the organism that affirms an ontological continuity between nature and spirit, a perspective of particular relevance for contemporary ecological thought.
Keywords: Hegel, Jonas, Responsibility, Philosophy of Nature
The article is available at this link: Academia.edu
