By WPS News Political Writer
Baybay City | February 3, 2025

Many big ideas come from a thinker named Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who was born in Germany in 1770. He talked a lot about important topics like the meaning of life, right and wrong, and how countries work. One of his big ideas is about war. Hegel thought that war isn’t just fighting; it helps people and nations understand who they are and become free.

Hegel had a special way of thinking that included three steps: starting with one idea, then a different idea, and finally bringing them together to make a new idea. He believed that problems and fights help ideas grow, which helps humans and countries grow too. Just like people, nations need to face challenges to truly know themselves and reach their goals. War, he said, is a normal part of how countries grow and find out what they stand for.

Hegel believed that a country is like a big family where everyone works together. He said it’s important for people and countries to be recognized, like getting a thumbs up from others. When countries want attention and respect from others, sometimes conflicts happen. For him, war is like a furnace that shapes nations and helps them find their place in the world.

Hegel saw history as a journey where, over time, we learn and grow, often through difficult times like wars. He said, “What is real can be understood, and what can be understood is real.” This means that while wars can be sad, they can also help lead to a better world where people have more freedom. Through wars, countries can change and improve how they work together.

Some people worry that Hegel’s ideas make fighting seem okay. They think he might support using violence to get what you want. But others believe he knows that war is messy and painful, and while it’s not good, it can still help us change for the better.

Today, when countries talk and deal with each other, Hegel’s thoughts still matter. People think about how conflict and working together relate to each other in our connected world. His ideas remind us to think about the good and bad sides of what countries do.

As we deal with big challenges today, Hegel’s ideas about war and freedom can help us understand what shapes our lives. By looking at how fighting and identity connect, we can think more about how countries and the world work together. Ultimately, Hegel helps us understand the complicated stories of being human, pushing us to appreciate the journey toward understanding and freedom.

In a world where war is still real, Hegel’s ideas remind us to find balance between fighting and coming together, encouraging us to seek understanding and unity as we grow and change together.