Carl Schmitt: The Politics of Nazism and the State of Exception

2020/08/31

This book introduces and examines Carl Schmitt's political thought in relatively high detail. He lived a long life, conducting research and writing through the Imperial era, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, and post-war West Germany. Had he been a Shakespeare scholar, for example, he might have led a very different life; however, as a scholar specializing in constitutional law and political science, he was swept up in the upheavals of the times and became a Nazi ideologue. While his assertion that the essence of politics lies in the distinction (decision) between "friend or foe" and his definition that "Sovereign is he who decides on the exception" brilliantly capture the essence of politics, his past—in which these ideas were applied to the justification of the Nazi regime—has always been problematic. This is why Schmitt's "allure" and "danger" have been constantly discussed.

In the process of writing this book, I had the opportunity to consider the meaning of "decision," which is a keyword for Schmitt. If Descartes, with his "I think, therefore I am," explored the fundamental meaning of "thinking," and the Romantics explored the fundamental meaning of "feeling," then Schmitt delved into and examined the meaning of "deciding."

In any case, in the political sphere, "deciding" is considered paramount, to the point where it is said that "the act of deciding" itself is more important than what one is deciding for. This brings to mind the existentialist phrase, "Choose, you are free." In fact, Schmitt's political thought is sometimes referred to as "political existentialism." It would not be surprising if he had muttered, "Decide, you are free," or "I decide, therefore I am."

Regarding the question of what fundamentally supports political order, there are two opposing positions: normativism and decisionism. Schmitt, an advocate of decisionism, stood in opposition to Kelsen, a proponent of normativism. However, around the time he became a Nazi ideologue, Schmitt introduced a dubious third criterion, distinct from norms or decisions: "concrete order (thinking)." This was a problematic argument developed to justify the status quo of the Nazis' totalitarian rule over Germany.

Carl Schmitt: The Politics of Nazism and the State of Exception

Hiroshi Kageyama

Chuko Shinsho

288 pages, 860 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.