The Responsible Subject in the Global Age

This essay claims that the concept of responsibility takes on an unprecedented meaning in the 20th century resulting from the emergence of a new dimension of the other: to be responsible comes to mean not just to account for oneself in relation to the other, but also to take the other into account, to take care of the other - which is called responsibility for (the other). The main reason for this change consists of the emergence of global risks and the necessity to be responsible for the destiny of the world and future generations. Starting from the reflections of Günther Anders and Hans Jonas, the essay suggests that a possible foundation of responsibility for lies in the subject’s awareness of his own vulnerability as the presupposition for a new relation with the other and with humankind as a whole.