Carl Schmitt (July 11, 1888 - April 7, 1985) was a German political theorist and legal philosopher who greatly influenced political thought in the first half of the 20th century. He developed his political theory through, among other things, the concepts of state sovereignty, state of law exception, and friend-enemy conflict. Schmitt’s thought is deeply connected to the political crises of his own time and is particularly controversial due to the unstable political situation in the Weimar Republic and his subsequent role under the Nazi regime.
Main Theories and Concepts
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Sovereignty and state of exception
Schmidt offered the famous definition that “the sovereign is the decision-maker in a state of exception.” This is the idea that the sovereign has the capacity to act outside the framework of law in emergency situations when the normal operation of law is interrupted. For Schmitt, this ability to determine the state of exception is the true essence of sovereignty.
- Human work is exception handling
Friend-enemy conflict
The concept of friend-enemy conflict is at the core of Schmitt’s political theory, which argues that political identity is fundamentally shaped by the definition of the enemy. This theory emphasizes the identification of the enemy as the basis for political decisions and seeks the essence of the political in the friend-enemy distinction.
evaluation and criticism
. While Schmitt’s ideas are highly regarded for their clarity and insight, they are also deeply controversial due to his involvement with the Nazis and his critical attitude toward democracy. It has been noted that his theories can be used to justify authoritarian or totalitarian political regimes. At the same time, however, his analysis of the power of the state, the nature of law, and the formation of political identity offers important insights in political theory and legal philosophy that are still extensively studied and debated today.
Schmitt’s work continues to be cited in fields as diverse as political science, international relations, law, and philosophy. His concept of friend-enemy conflict, for example, remains relevant in considering new political and legal challenges in the globalized world of the 21st century.
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