Dialectics and the Problem of Freedom in On War

Abstract

Through this contribution, it is reflected on the dialectics of Carl von Clausewitz in conjunction with the philosophy of G. W. F. Hegel – in particular, his insights regarding the relationship between the lord and the bondsman. Understanding war through this relationship is significant to understand the opposites through their predicates and in their unity. Then, each party in opposition is implied in the other; they are not to be understood as fixed entities situated in a dualistic juxtaposition. Together with his dialectics, Clausewitz’s historicism is fundamental to educe the notion of freedom from his work. He emphasises the singularity of any war, in the sense that it is being a social interaction contingent on the social milieu that it takes place. This corresponds also to the absolving of the commander from the doctrinal manuals on war drawn up with respect to wars that happened in the past and that approach them as if they were merely technical and military matters. His elaboration on war provides the scope for a commander to assert the subjectivity he constitutes through his insights into the objective world he acts within. Clausewitz’s method indicates that his theory possesses a discernible universal essence, thus, his work is relevant not only to understand the wars of the era that he lived in but also the contemporary ones.