Die Bedeutung der „Kommunikation“ von Völkern und Kulturen für die Geschichte in Hegels Europabild

Abstract

Hegel’s reflections on Europe encompass numerous questions and problem areas that remain relevant today. His fundamental insight of connecting Europe and modernity is a thought of extraordinary significance. In Hegel’s footsteps, we can comprehend how Europe, in the elaboration of modern freedom, has differed from and defined itself in spheres of the modern world compared to other historical periods and formations. He recognized that the ongoing struggle for human and personal freedom has become foundational aspects of modernity. One of his pivotal ideas was Europe’s spiritual education through culture in the broadest sense. In this regard, it’s not the economy, politics, individual peoples, or nations that are the primary components of Europe, but culture in the widest sense, the fundamental nature of which lies in the manner of „communication“ with the other and the foreign. Hegel understood this „communication“ as the „contact“ and „intercourse“ of a people with others through an open and respectful engagement with different and foreign cultures. He considered this as one of the crucial components of the history and „essence“ of Europe.