Krieg, Frieden und Religion(en) – Hans Jonas' Reflections on Religious Aspects of Warlessness

Abstract

This paper focuses on a posthumously published speech by the Jewish philosopher Hans Jonas, named Reflections onReligious Aspects of Warlessness. Jonas talks about the topic of war and peace in the teachings and history of different religions; namely, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Manicheism. Furthermore, he discusses the relations between war, peace, and religion in general, highlights the dangers of the modern nuclear age, and speculates about the role that religion might play in the process of avoiding war in the future. The paper sums up the most important statements of Jonas!s speech and takes a look into other texts by Jonas that help us to understand his thoughts on war and peace; e. g., The Concept of God after Auschwitz, his reflections about the participation of Jews in the Second World War and his studies about Gnosticism. In addition, the paper also discusses Jonas's propositions in a questioning manner and takes its own standpoint on both Reflections on Religious Aspects of Warlessness and the relations between war, peace, and the different religions in the past and in the world of today.