The concept of history plays a vital role in the thoughts of humans by invoking some aspects of human dynamics, agency, and their affairs, through the perpetuation of significant historical events (Duquette). According to Hegel, history underscores intelligible progress that gears towards a particular condition channeled towards the realization of freedom of humans (Duquette). Through his corporation of deep histories into theories of philosophy, Hegel can deduce the objective history relationship with human consciousness subjective development, which is innate and informs the primary thesis in his phenomenology history to aid his comprehension of the unfolding history. Moreover, Hegel’s firm belief that history is the world’s sovereignty underscores his reasoning that history is a rational process (Duquette). Therefore, Hegel’s view on progressive history underlies the notion that the primary tenet of history is the progress of freedom consciousness. The improvement itself is rational, following its correspondence with development.
Types of History for Hegel and How Each Overcomes the Former
Hegel argues that there exist three primary ways of making history, with the first being original history which underpins the unmediated accounts of actions, events, and situations, which upon collection, they are substantiated by historians through their experiences (Fox-Williams). According to Hegel, original history is for creating a remarkable mental portrayal. Contemporary historians use it for accuracy, summary, and explanation for the accuracy of concepts, with significant examples being Thucydides and Herodotus (Fox-Williams). Hegel’s second type of history is reflective history which has no limitation to a specific time frame, unlike the original account following the former’s transcendence to the present culture. The reflective narrative delves into summarizing historical events and histories in other cultures, places, and timeframes. A reflective account is primarily based on the tenet of research on how historical events are correct, thereby dispensing unorthodox narratives and explanations. He adds that reflective history may encompass sub-sets from pragmatic, critical, universal, and specialized history (Fox-Williams). As Hegel depicts, the third type of history is philosophical history, which delves into the realms of poetized thoughts and synthesizes philosophical ideas on historically acquired information (Fox-Williams). From that type of history, Hegel deduced the notion that progressive human history through recognition of self with reasoning principle as primary guidance. Therefore, Hegel’s three types of history overcome each other in the sense that original history was outlined during the historical period of that time, reflective history documented after the passage of the period, thereby giving rise to interpretation and contemplative thought, and finally, an intellectual account which interprets rational process via philosophical thinking.
Philosophical History and Its Importance to Hegel
In his description of the theory of history as the development of freedom consciousness, Hegel classifies history into three major types or epochs. First is the tyrannical age, which he asserts had the characteristics of the Oriental world of the pre-Greek (Evance). Here, Hegel illustrates that people are on the notion that it can only be one individual, the despot or the free ruler. The reason is that the freedom spirit could only manifest in a single person, a freedom that would be realized by an accidental birth, which informs its arbitrary nature. Such belief was primarily informed by people’s ignorance or lack of awareness of the subjective freedom within them. Perhaps that could have been the primary reason Hegel referred to it as the childhood aspect of spiritual development.
Hegel’s second type is the Romans and the Greeks, who have been accustomed to believing that it is only some individual citizens who are free (Evance). Hegel had initially divided this type into sub-sets where he depicts the first sub-set as the Greek world that saw the subjective freedom consciousness, albeit the Greeks had not realized the complete freedom of humans since their spiritual life paralleled the fundamental gratification with accord (Evance). For that reason, people lived harmoniously, adhering to the sovereign norms, albeit that was still analogous to the culture following their failure to question morals and rights. Hence the society exhibited intrinsic rigidity conflicting g universal; principles and individual freedom. According to Hegel, the second subset that was sequential to that period was the subjective freedom by the Roman Empire that saw the inauguration of legal rights for citizens, albeit with metaphysical aspects of liberty, with spirit as a significant aspect of self-alienation (Evance). The third and final classification Hegel uses is the Germanic people of Western Europe, who, following their Christianity influence, are of the firm belief that all humans are free. The stage underlined true freedom as freedom was thought to be essential for humanity, following the intellectual life of Medieval Christianity.
The notion of Providence in Hegel and its Tenets on Reason in History
Hegel argues that providence informs knowledge invested with boundless potentiality, which comes into fully realizing its potential; aim, outright, and logic to the world. Following the determination of thought into freedom (Fox-Williams), Hegel adds that the vast human historical stages are depicted as conservative and unfounded following the societal exhibition of individuals who receive guidance from instincts, exogenous factors, and martyrdom. In the spheres of its tenets in history, Hegel asserts that the realization of logic in history informs the vindication of credence in God as history is responsible for the revelation of human natures’ bestiality and brutality, albeit appeal s for positivism, resulting in the diminishing of negativisms (Fox-Williams). Finally, Hegel contends that it is through reason consciousness that results in the realization of the excellent aim of the world through the historical vents that occur historically and yield positive change. Here, Hegel demonstrates his prowess in presenting a liberal depiction of history with the perception of human society as a process of dynamism following the cultivation, and refining of human cognitive potentiality, and ultimately informing the triumph of reason despite the existence of evil in the community.
How Hegel Understands the Existence of Evil in the “grand scheme” of World History
In his accounts on The Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel narrates the emergence of self-consciousness whenever4 an individual meets the other, an aspect that develops in both in their quest to seek recognition from each other, albeit with fear (Qvortrup). In a notion that Hegel depicts as a battle of death, he asserts that finally, one submits and becomes the slave. At the same time, the other assumes the position of a master in the grand scheme. This relationship may later be reversed, following the master’s failure to attain enough recognition from someone he never considers equal. Also, following the enslaved people’s creativity from the works delegated to him by the master, the enslaved person soon becomes conscious and aware of his rights hence informing the alienation of the master and the creative nature of the enslaved person through fear and service rendered to the master. It is from that that forms the basis of the objective spirit, following the relationship between master, and slave, coupled with its dynamics (Qvortrup). To Hegel, everyone is a product of evolutionary and slow historical aspects. Some groups may oppose each other in the quest to attain equilibrium, underpinning rationality as actual, and vice versa. However, Hegel holds that through history, such differences can be overcome.
Works Cited
Duquette, David. “Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: Philosophy of History.” Philosophy, 2010, DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780195396577-0133. Accessed 30 July 2022.
Evance, Lawrence. “Hegel on History.” Philosophy Now, a Magazine of Ideas, 2018, philosophynow.org/issues/129/Hegel_on_History. Accessed 30 July 2022.
Fox-Williams, Jack. “Hegel’s Understanding of History.” Philosophy Now, a Magazine of Ideas, 2020, philosophynow.org/issues/140/Hegels_Understanding_of_History#:~:text=Providence%20is%20wisdom%20endowed%20with,society%20is%20made%20up%20of. Accessed 28 July 2022.
Qvortrup, Matt. “G.W.F. Hegel: An Introduction.” Philosophy Now, a Magazine of Ideas, 2020, philosophynow.org/issues/140/GWF_Hegel_An_Introduction. Accessed 30 July 2022.
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