The nature of conflict: Ontological paradox and existential effort of acceptance

Abstract

This paper investigates the fundamental nature of conflict within an existential-phenomenological approach. Despite extensive research having been carried out on the phenomenon of conflict, little attention has been paid to its correlation with the ontological paradox. In this context, the present paper attempts to locate a uniform ground for an understanding of the entity of conflict by means of rethinking the specific position of man within Being. This becomes possible through the unfolding of a complex existential-phenomenological methodology consisting of a description of participants experiencing the paradoxical nature of conflict. Conflict is sure to consist of an encounter between opposites, incompatibilities or contradicting parties. However, where do these opposites originate and where are these contradicting parties located? The search for answers reveals that ignoring (avoidance) an understanding of the situation, as well as a rush to an immediate resolution of the conflict, appears to be unproductive. One of the possible solutions might be found within the ontological paradox in terms of phenomenological attentive consideration and existential effort for accepting the insolvability of a conflict. Nevertheless, this way reveals a paradoxical path for productively dealing with the nature of human conflict, allowing a thorough understanding in the categories of finitude, entirety, “inner war,” self-state and effort of acceptance. This complex approach may be further applied within both philosophical and sociopolitical research areas based on the represented categories. For example, investigations of such phenomena as crisis, habit, change, innovation, etc., are of great interest in terms of harmonisation of self-state and effort for acceptance.