Political Theology

The distinctive theory of sovereignty from one of the most significant and controversial political theorists of the twentieth century.

Translated and with an introduction by George Schwab

Foreword by Tracy B. Strong

Written in the intense political and intellectual tumult of the early years of the Weimar Republic, Carl Schmitt argues in Political Theology that legal order ultimately rests upon the decisions of the sovereign. Focusing on the relationships among political leadership, the norms of the legal order, and the state of political emergency, he asserts that only the sovereign can meet the needs of an “exceptional” time and transcend legal order so that order can then be reestablished. Convinced that the state is governed by the ever-present possibility of conflict, Schmitt theorizes that the state exists only to maintain its integrity in order to ensure order and stability. Suggesting that all concepts of modern political thought are secularized theological concepts, Schmitt concludes Political Theology with a critique of liberalism and its attempt to depoliticize political thought by avoiding fundamental political decisions.