Name: Matthew Jose G.

Soto

Grade and Section: Grade 11 – Excellence

PHILOSOPHICAL PAPER

A philosophical reflection on the question: “should humanity struggle in order to

progress?” from a holistic perspective.

Context:

In this modern world, where my everyday life involves a lot of interactions with
technology, the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life
ultimately makes my everyday life easier. It is not an exaggeration to say that I am living
in a much more convenient and comfortable time compared to my ancestors. However,
as I am surrounded by convenience and comfort, it prevents me from facing more kinds
of struggles. Although this thought might seem desirable, this can be threatening.
Struggle has been part of my life starting from birth. Anyone, if asked to define what is
struggle, would be able to answer along the lines of trying against a certain problem or
opposition. As someone who experiences different kinds of struggles in my daily life, I
can see the value of struggle as it helped me learn a lot of things as I was put in that
situation. In a much larger perspective, the same goes looking at humanity itself.
Historically, humanity was able to reach this point of civilization mainly because
humanity continued to find struggles in the attempt of making lives easier or for the sake
of more discoveries in different fields of knowledge. Ironically, the results of the progress
of humanity, is the same thing that endangers that progress.
Furthermore, 19th century writers expanded the thought that the idea of conflict is
essential for progress to happen. One of the said writers is Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Hegel, a German philosopher. According to his metaphysical account, it is driven by
ideological development. Ideological which also means that it is historical. Change
happens when a new idea is adapted in the environment of the old one, and eventually
overtakes it. Thus, implying that development necessarily involves periods of conflict
when the old and new ideas clash.

Experience:

A particular experience of mine that has led me to come up with this topic is when I
recently moved here in Cagayan de Oro City. In order to maneuver around the City that
is unfamiliar to me, I have to rely on google maps. Even though this is considered as the
right decision, my reliance to this feature of technology has prevented me from
memorizing certain streets simply because at the back of my mind, I know that I can just
open my phone, search for my destination, and it will automatically tell me which way to
go, instead of actually asking the locals and observe my environment. This individual
experience of mine is an example of how the lack of conflict has resulted into a minimal
if none progress as according to Hegel even though his approach was in a societal
perspective.

In addition to my experience, which is more of an observation. No matter what time or

era, society constantly faces different kinds of contemporary issues, some of which
remain totally unsolved until today. A very good example of this is the most recent
epidemic that has caused a million deaths, COVID 19. At the height of this pandemic, it
was clear that society has struggled enough. This deadly phenomena has forced the
world to work together in order to come up with a solution as soon as possible. The
result? An effective vaccine. Not to mention it has different variations. From this we can
definitely see the advancement of humanity in the field of science. Which supports the
statement of Hegel: “The world as a whole is in the process of development through
conflict.” Although this statement does not imply that the conflict within that time period
was worth it for the sake of advancement, it does show the nature of humans in the
midst of struggle.
Also, since I have mentioned modern phenomena, it is also important to note that such
patterns of development can also be observed in historic events. Notably, World war 2.
According to the National Museum, World War II brought about significant breakthroughs
in the fields of surgery and medicine, along with advancements in microwave and
computer technology. Due to the devastation caused by both world wars, new medical
procedures had to be developed and employed, which improved skin grafts, blood
transfusions, and other aspects of trauma care. These facts are solid evidence of
Hegel’s argument that without war, individuals in liberal societies become self-absorbed
and weak, unwilling to work for the common good.

Reflection:

Based on my given experiences, it is undeniable that struggle pushes humanity to

progress. Thus implying the vital role of struggles that we constantly face. However, I do
not agree with the thought of comparing the damage caused by the struggle and the
progress we gain, it is still nonetheless the nature of society.

With a lot of philosophical points that support the notion of struggle to progress, I
strongly believe as well that society must struggle. According to Hegel, as mentioned
earlier, the world develops through conflicts. However, I holistically imply that simply
struggling is not enough. Because as we struggle more, this also increases the risk and
damage overtime. Although it is fascinating to think that we as humans have the innate
capability to work together and solve a problem in the face of struggle, it is much more
safe and desirable to constantly take initiative towards development.

With this, I am also implying that although struggle is necessary to progress, it is not the
only way to move forward. Relying on the convenience and help technology offers has
already led us to progress. A very good example of this is the rapid evolution of
technology and how artificial intelligence continues to improve.

Evaluation:

As I put my eyes through the perspective of the reader, I would humbly say that I was
able to express my thoughts, experiences, and together with my research, which has
helped me write a philosophical paper that explores both sides of the argument. Thus,
being able to write this from a holistic perspective. This has led me to write a
philosophical paper with meaningful reflection that was drawn from the context and
experiences I provided, that has allowed me to explore the importance of struggle. Both
in an individual and societal perspective. Moreover, despite sharing my personal
experiences, I have not shown any preference or bias on which can actually give more
progress to society.

Application:

Upon drawing meaningful reflection and evaluation from the paper that I wrote, and
considering the philosophies of a certain philosopher about the topic of struggle, applied
both in a individual and societal perspective, it has given me a deeper understanding of
how the world has progressed and the innate nature of humans in the face of struggle.
Progress happens regardless of any situation, whether we rely on technology and
convenience or face the struggle head on, progress keeps happening. As an individual,
this would encourage me to be motivated in every struggle that I face. Also to take
initiative and take advantage of the convenience that I have in order to continue
developing instead of being satisfied with what's available which could hinder my
personal development. With these conclusions and realizations, it still has me
questioning — do we progress because we continue to find struggle? or do we progress
because struggle continues to find us? This question would lead to another careful
evaluation of how humanity progresses through struggle. Thus, perpetuating this
reflection.
Sources:

● Progress (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). (2011, February 17).

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/progress/
● https://academic.oup.com/pq/article
abstract/71/3/658/5908079?redirectedFrom=fulltext