Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty

Synopsis of Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty

In 'Political Theology', Carl Schmitt develops a distinctive theory of sovereignty, exploring the relationships among political leadership, the norms of the legal order, and the state of political emergency. Schmitt argues that legal order rests on the decisions of the sovereign, who can transcend legal order to reestablish it in exceptional times. Convinced that the state is governed by the constant possibility of conflict, Schmitt theorizes that the state exists to maintain its integrity and ensure order and stability. Furthermore, he suggests that the concepts of modern political thought are secularized theological concepts, concluding with a critique of liberalism and its attempt to depoliticize political thought.