Civilizational Responsibility between Islam and Contemporary Western Thought: Hans Jonas as a Model

Abstract

Abstract

The study focuses on exploring the concept of civilizational responsibility as outlined by Islam for the preservation and progress of civilization, and compares it with the ideas of the Thinker Hans Jonas in this regard. Utilizing an analytical methodology grounded in deduction, interpretation, and critique, the research is structured into three sections. The first section discusses civilizational responsibility from an Islamic perspective, the second examines it according to Hans Jonas, and the third offers an analytical perspective on the principle of civilizational responsibility as proposed by Jonas. The research concludes with several key findings, notably that civilizational responsibility entails human's obligation to enhance his civilization and nurture its essential aspects (humans, life, universe), steering it towards accomplishing its mission in this life. Additionally, it finds that Jonas's notion of civilizational responsibility pertains to a future obligation toward human life and nature, but that his theoretical premises do not align with the concept of civilizational responsibility in Islam.

Keywords: civilization, civilizational responsibility, Western civilization, Hans Jonas.