Wheel and fire. Inventions and discoveries. In human hands, technology has always had two uses. One that builds civilizations and one that destroys them. The difference today compared to the past is that back then, the misuse of technology could destroy the present. Today, it can also destroy the future.

It is at this very point that Hans Jonas comes to highlight the importance of how modern individuals will manage the new capabilities. A way that does not rely on fear and exclusion, but on discernment, responsibility, and a new ethics that we must develop.

An ethics that is created when we reflect on our responsibility towards ourselves, the environment, and future generations. "If the dialogue about ethics can contribute something to the struggle of humanity to survive beyond the present age, we need precisely this kind of work to plan the necessary steps. Without self-deception, but also without despair, Hans Jonas brings us face to face with the issues upon which any future of ours depends." David Levy, Times Higher Education Supplement