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

This book provides a relatively detailed introduction and examination of Carl Schmitt's political thought. He lived a long life, spanning the Imperial era, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, and post-war West Germany, during which he engaged in research and writing. Had he been, for example, a Shakespeare scholar, 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 assertions 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," examined the fundamental meaning of "thinking," and the Romantics examined 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 words of the existentialists: "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, the advocate of decisionism, stood in opposition to Kelsen, the proponent of normativism. However, around the time he became a Nazi ideologue, Schmitt introduced a dubious third criterion, distinct from norms or decisions, called "concrete order (thinking)." This was a problematic argument developed to legitimize the status quo of the Nazis' totalitarian rule over Germany.

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

Hiroshi Kageyama

Chuko Shinsho

288 pages, 860 yen (excluding tax)

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