Hans Jonas's reflections on the human soul and the notion of imago Dei: an explanation of their role in ethics and some possible historical influences on their development

Summary: This article argues that understanding the link between Martin Heidegger's philosophy and Gnosticism, as drawn by Hans Jonas, requires considering Jonas's interpretation of modern science. Jonas saw Heideggerian existentialism as a reaction to the cosmological changes from the scientific revolution, rather than a modern instantiation of Gnosticism. Jonas's original contribution lies in reading Heidegger as a philosophical outcome of instrumental reasoning in modern science, challenging traditional views.