Reasons are motivations that help people achieve their purposes. This phrase should not be misunderstood, what can be said here is the fact that reason uses people’s passions to achieve their purposes. At this point, we can claim that because the passions and purposes are changeable components of the human spirit, reasons can change too. Therefore, like Hegel, if we apply the history of the human spirit to the Whole World History, it can be said that the reasons, needs, passions or purposes of the eras among ages can precisely change. A thought or an opinion which was really “epoch-making” can be foolish today; because, as the human body, Whole World History is not “stable” and it has some “dynamic” features. Its passions are on the river flowing so we -that is to say, humans or states- never swim in the same water. To clarify, the concept of freedom has changed a lot. Let’s, separate history of the world 3 stages regarding this notion like Hegel did.
In the 1st stage, there is an “oriental understanding of the concept of freedom” in which there is only one arbitrary “free” man and everyone is under one despot. In the 2nd stage, there is “Greek understanding”, there are some free men and slaves. In the last and 3rd stage, people have an awareness of the notion of freedom. The reason why I gave these stages is the fact that era by era, commonplace thoughts or “reasons” or purposes of World History have changed on according to their age or stage. Well, here is the question: Can we judge the concept of judgment in history?
To clarify, can we consider a person who was a judge in Nazi Germany and punished many people whose crime was only opposing to authority, as a man who was only doing his duty since it was the reason and passion of his state and era and call him innocent? These are very dangerous questions. To Hegel, if your era is okay with slavery, you should be okay with it too because your spirit -that is to say, your mind- is bound to the Whole World History which brings us to the fact that you are your era’s man. Is it true? If my era orders me to think that slaves are the only animal you can use for your needs and they are not humans, can I use them and don’t think too much? This thought is only an excuse for those who just pretend like they did nothing wrong because of their age and their era.
Therefore, the answer to the question asked above is “no”. Hence, the judge should be put on trial because of his crimes. At this point, that my era and my state make me do something immoral, I should do anything they order and all the consequences will be their problem cannot be an excuse. Hegel does not think that; however, his thoughts are being used by “excuser”. Yes, the passions and reasons of eras aren’t stable, they are so prone to change; the situation in Ancient Greek or state of nature was not same to modern times and we cannot judge them on account of what they did; here, what Hegel wants to claim is the fact that while being changeable, History of Mankind is trying to reach the ultimate reason which is freedom. Thus, it can be said that we are much closer to the ultimate reason than the stone age, so we shouldn’t step back as Nazi Judge did. We should try to approach the ultimate freedom that is named liberalism.
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