The Concept of the Political
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In this, his most influential work, legal theorist and political philosopher Carl Schmitt argues that liberalism’s basis in individual rights cannot provide a reasonable justification for sacrificing oneself for the state—a critique as cogent today as when it first appeared. George Schwab’s introduction to his translation of the 1932 German edition highlights Schmitt’s intellectual journey through the turbulent period of German history leading to the Hitlerian one-party state. In addition to analysis by Leo Strauss and a foreword by Tracy B. Strong placing Schmitt’s work into contemporary context, this expanded edition also includes a translation of Schmitt’s 1929 lecture “The Age of Neutralizations and Depoliticizations,” which the author himself added to the 1932 edition of the book. An essential update on a modern classic, The Concept of the Political, Expanded Edition belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in political theory or philosophy.
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2 primary books#1 in Der Begriff des Politischen
Der Begriff des Politischen is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1927 with contributions by Carl Schmitt.
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Not a controversial book (in my book) easy and reasonable argument made.
Carl Schmitt argues that politics is defined by the friend-enemy distinction, where existential threats, not moral differences, shape political life. Unlike morality or economics, the political revolves around survival and identity, and conflict is inevitable when these differences become irreconcilable. Schmitt critiques liberalism for attempting to depoliticize life by hiding political motives behind legal, moral, or economic rhetoric, weakening the state's ability to defend itself. Liberalism's belief in world peace and international harmony ignores the inherent conflict in human nature, leading to misguided interventions framed as moral causes.
