The Concept of the Political
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The Concept of the Political defines the political through the existential friend-enemy distinction, rooted in human diversity and potential conflict.[1] Schmitt argues that conflict is an ineradicable part of human nature, attacking liberal notions that politics can be stripped of agonistic energy.[2]
Making and release
The 1932 version contains significant revisions, likely made in response to Leo Strauss's reaction, according to Heinrich Meier.[3] Karl Löwith argued the revision was an opportunistic attempt following Schmitt's Nazi Party membership, not a response to Strauss.[3] Reinhard Mehring, Schmitt's biographer, stated there is no underlying Catholic theme in the book.[4] Catholic theologians were among the outraged critics of this work.[5]
Duncker & Humblot in Munich issued the first edition of this work in 1932.[3] A 1927 journal article sharing the same title served as the foundation for this book.[3] One year after the book came out, in 1933, Schmitt became a member of the Nazi Party.[6] Weimar Germany was in its final period when this text was released.[6]
What the cited sources add
Gottfried notes that Schmitt's works, including The Concept of the Political, continue to be read for their conceptual depth and stylistic brilliance.[7] Leo Strauss's first published work was a commentary on The Concept of the Political, which Schmitt appended to the second edition.[7] Mehring confirms that Schmitt's devotion to the Catholic Church was mostly political.[7] Gottfried notes that Mehring identified Catholic theologians as being among those who reacted with outrage to this work.[7]
Gottfried reports that Ludwig Feuchtwanger, who edited Schmitt's work and was Jewish, regarded The Concept of the Political as a conceptual masterpiece.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edward Fairhead, 'Carl Schmitt's politics in the age of drone strikes: examining the Schmittian texture of Obama's enemy' (2017), Journal for Cultural Research, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meier, Heinrich. Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss: The Hidden Dialogue. University of Chicago Press, 2006. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Carl Schmitt (1927), "The Concept of the Political", Archiv für Sozialwissenschaft und Sozialpolitik, 58(1), pp. 1–33. Cf. George Schwab, 'Introduction', in Car; Meier, Heinrich. Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss: The Hidden Dialogue. University of Chicago Press, 2006.; ; Löwith, Karl. (1995). "The Occasional Decisionism of Carl Schmitt." in K. Löwith, Martin Heidegger and European Nihilism, R. Wolin (ed.) and G. Steiner (trans.); (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mehring, Reinhard. (2014). Carl Schmitt: A Biography. Cambridge: Polity Press (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gottfried, "The Concept of Carl Schmitt: What made the controversial philosopher's work so compelling?", The American Conservative, 16 October 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "The Concept of the Political" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bartov, "Mirrors of Destruction : War, Genocide, and Modern Identity", Oxford University Press, 2000; Strong, "Politics Without Vision : Thinking Without a Banister in the Twentieth Century", 2012; Koonz, "The Nazi Conscience", Harvard University Press, 2005-11-30; Balakrishnan, "The Enemy : An Intellectual Portrait of Carl Schmitt", Verso, 2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Gottfried, "The Concept of Carl Schmitt: What made the controversial philosopher's work so compelling?", The American Conservative, 16 October 2015. facts only, no text reused. theamericanconservative.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article The Concept of the Political (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Concept of the Political (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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