Are we free w/ Hegel

Freedom is the ne plus ultra of attainment, according to Hegel.  The history was the realization of such freedom: “The Orientals have not attained the knowledge that Spirit- man as suchㅡis free; and because they do not know this they are not free…… The consciousness of Freedom first arose among the Greeks, and therefore they were free; but they, and the Romans likewise, knew only that some are freeㅡnot man as such…… The German nations, under the influence of Christianity, were the first to attain the consciousness that man, as man, is free.”(p.552) According to Hegel, the history of the attainment of freedom has ended. The Germans by achieving the consciousness that freedom is innate in men have ended the history of freedom. Yet, there is absence of freedom, wherever our Will searches for it from Hegel.

It is evident that the nature of freedom is the absence of limits. By this the goal is not to complain the situations in which there are limits but rather how those situations are not actually free. To Hegel, to be “free” is to be “free by Nature,” and in a “state of nature” which “is assumed in which mankind at large are in the possession of their natural rights with the unconstrained exercise and enjoyment of their freedom. (p.572)” The freedom is acted when freedom itself is enjoyed. This brings an inquiry, ‘how can one get the freedom first to enjoy it, when the way of exercising freedom is to enjoy it.’ The fact is that freedom is above the matter of human enjoyment. One does not usually feel happiness for what he has but rather disappointed at things one does not have. This is especially true when dealing with metaphysical concepts such as freedom. Since metaphysical concepts are intangible and insensible, they are hard to grasp as a form of enjoyment. Such activation of freedom suggested by Hegel is not the real case.

Then how exactly is the freedom realized? “The great point is that Freedom in its Ideal conception does not have subjective will and caprice for its principle, but the recognition of the universal Will, and that the process by which Freedom is realized is the free development of its successive stages. (579)” Here, Freedom does not have a subjective touch of any kind. The realization of the true universal Will is also the realization of the free development of the man. The Will of the Spirit is the source of which the history is manifested and since history is the realization of freedom, it is also the guide of the freedom as well. This Spirit guides history towards Freedom, working the events to meet the end. However, it is very stubborn to connect the events through abstract concept. Such history can be absent of mankind, with no necessity of it. Also, it degrades the significance of freedom by removing from the standard of the man, a goal for the Spirit, a role which mankind cannot play, (but only seem to play).

There are many cases in reality when freedom is not yet present, the fact whether this will change uncertain. To define freedom as a state which one can will something within one’s capability, all is indeed free, for all we can do are within our capability but all we cannot do are just not within our capability. But to define freedom as a state which enables the will to be achieved or to be free from the restraints of life, all men are not free. People die achieving only few of the things dreamed; people are restrained in their characteristics and life style. People are left to decide numerous choices, sometimes taking the road not taken, but are pressured by millions of socio-economic factors and certain personal, religious or social doctrines which eventually leaves us dead.

The only way to be actually free is to live with no will to achieve and be dead. Thus no man is actually free, for they are left with restrictions upon living on this land. The realization of the Spirit is no greater than a UFO on the sky; you will know the truth of the existence of extraterrestrials but no one will trust you. Complete freedom is impossible and to call part freedom as freedom seems stubborn, for some degree we are capable within our capabilities, but only not having liberty from the nature. This was just nowhere to be found in Hegelian concepts, where man was subordinated to the being of Spirit, not being man for man himself.

-plz forgive the errors in grammer, spelling, and use of terms-

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