Ricerc@Sapienza

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. Along with a overall, although detailed and historically faithful presentation of both ancient schools, Jonas also seizes the opportunity for presenting and reinforcing his radical critique against any form of reductionist materialism as well as for supporting the crucial role of the “spiritual factor”, against the background of his well known ideas about human freedom and responsibility.