The Concept of the Political

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.