"Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights"

Genuine tragedies arise not from the simple clash between good and evil, but from situations where two justified, moral, or right claims stand in opposition to each other. This insight demands a deeper moral awareness: conflicts between clear right and clear wrong are straightforward, whereas the agonizing heart of tragedy appears when two equally valid ethical imperatives collide. One person’s claim to justice, freedom, or loyalty might directly conflict with another’s claim to the same values. Such conflicts are depicted in many classic literary tragedies, such as Antigone, where the protagonist’s obligation to familial duty competes with her duty to the state. Both sides uphold noble principles, making the resulting suffering inevitable.

Hegel’s point challenges moral absolutism, as it recognizes the inherent complexity within ethical life. Human society is composed of many different spheres of value, family, community, law, individual conscience, each with its own legitimacy. Tragedy emerges when these spheres intersect in ways that force individuals to choose, knowing that any choice entails the sacrifice of something valuable and right. This view encourages empathy and humility, as it suggests that adversaries are not always wicked; rather, they may stand for competing rights that cannot both be fully realized.

Understanding tragedy in this way prompts a more nuanced approach to conflict and decision-making. It becomes clear that some of the deepest suffering stems not from malice, but from the impossibility of reconciling important values in certain circumstances. This perspective urges individuals and societies to recognize the limits of justice and the pain of unresolved ethical dilemmas. Far from offering simple moral answers, genuine tragedy reveals the irresolvable tensions that lie at the foundation of human coexistence, inviting us to reflect with compassion, rather than to judge with certainty.