Monument to Hans Jonas / Coat of Emissions

This monument honors the Mönchengladbach philosopher Hans Jonas, who gained international acclaim with his book The Imperative of Responsibility. In his text, he developed an ethics based on considering environmental consequences and the fates of future generations when addressing scientific and economic concerns. As early as 1979, he had already demonstrated how blind faith in the capabilities of technology and unrestrained economic growth could pose potential long-term threats to our planet. Jonas called for society to maintain an awareness of the future consequences of such an ideology.
After his schooling in Mönchengladbach, Hans Jonas studied with Husserl and Heidegger; however, as a Jew, he was forced to emigrate in 1933. After his military service with British and Israeli forces in World War II, he moved to Canada and then finally settled in New York in 1955, where he lived and taught until his death in 1993.
The philosopher held several guest professorships and received numerous awards for his work, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1987, as well as honorary citizenship in his hometown Mönchengladbach in 1989. The city also renamed the park at the Volkshochschule (adult education center) Hans Jonas Park, which is where Hans Karl Burgeff erected his monument to the philosopher in 1997/98 on behalf of the Wissenschaftliche Verein. The bronze statue stands atop a tall steel column in a dynamic pose. His coat flows behind him as he takes a step toward the city center with an introverted expression on his face.
Andreas Siekmann’s contribution to the project Ein ahnungsloser Traum vom Park (2012-2014) was an extension on the philosopher’s coat. This Emissionsmantel / Coat of Emissions is made of fiberglass reinforced plastic and reaches all the way to the ground. Its surface is printed with “pictograms of globalization,” which the artist often uses to address political and social relationships.
Here he focuses on the topic of emissions trading. For example, one of the images depicts representatives of well-known energy companies holding champagne glasses in celebration of a successful coup. “I think the belief that environmental problems can be solved with neoliberal principles is wrong,” the artist explains. The coat is a critique of the energy companies’ concealment tactics and the policies that develop new fields of business under the pretext of climate protection, but continue to ignore the “principle of responsibility” in favor of short-term economic success.

Further reading:
Hans Jonas: Das Prinzip Verantwortung. Versuch einer Ethik für die technologische Zivilisation. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1979.