Among the Hellenistic schools, Jonas attributes a decisive role to Stoicism. The new position held by ancient Stoicism should be considered crucial, because (over, above and better than Aristotle) it seems to represent the first philosophy, that examines the idea of freedom from a strong, systematic, holistic point of view.
A comprehensive survey of the most important doctrines attrbuted to Ancient Atomists, namely Leucippus and Democritus.
Thanks to a careful analysis about some relevant passages of two courses, only recently published and held by Hans Jonas at the New School for Social Research/New York (respectively: Major Systems of Philosophy, 1963; Probems of Freedom, 1970), this paper examines (for the first time) his attitude towards two important materialistic philosophies of the ancient thought: early Atomism and Stoicism.
It seems undeniable, that in reconstructing the conceptual universe of Hans Jonas's oeuvre a privileged place can, or indeed must, be reserved for his relationship with the classical heritage. Certainly, it is far from easy to provide a clear and detailed outline of this relationship with the ancient philosophical past. Jonas is not the kind of author who peppers his writing with quotes, references, and footnotes. Often his engagement with such a past is a silent one, and only a painstaking approach can reveal the presence of this or that ancient author.
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