The gnostic dualism as radical form of world denial

Abstract

This paper has the objective of analyzing the differences between platonic dualism and gnostic dualism. The Hans Jonas’s analysis about gnostic movements shows that it’s way of dualism is constituted as a radical denial of the world. This interpretation cannot be extended to platonic philosophy because, even though it’s dualistic, there’s still a connection between the sensitive world and the intelligible world, being the last one the reason for being of the first one. In the gnosticism, the world is a total antitheses of what surpasses it, and on that way, any knowledge can’t be offered, not even of imperfect character. While a radical form of world denial Jonas has, therefore the gnosticism as a paradigm of nihilist dualism.