Article:

Von Bildfreiheit und Geschichtsverlust. Zu Hans Jonas' homo pictor

Hans Jonas has developed an anthropology by describing the ability to create as the identifying characteristic unique to human beings. According to his definition of the ›homo pictor‹ it is not about the ability to create pictures it-self, but about the foundation of that ability: freedom. The paper wants to reconstruct the concept of picture anthropology and to explain how Jonas defines ›picture‹. Finally, the concept of freedom with the capacity to enable such a picture anthropology – and that hence defines the homo pictor – is evaluated.