About the author
German jurist and political theorist (1888–1985), one of the most penetrating and most controversial thinkers of the twentieth century. Political Theology (1922) opens with the famous claim that 'sovereign is he who decides on the exception,' arguing that modern political concepts are secularised theological ones and that the sovereign decision, not the norm, is fundamental. Schmitt's brilliance is inseparable from his record: he joined the Nazi Party in 1933 and lent his theory of emergency power to the regime, which is why he is studied as both a profound diagnostician and a cautionary figure.
Synopsis
A work arguing that sovereignty is revealed in the power to decide the exception.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workSchmitt argues that the sovereign is the one who decides on the exception.
This matters because emergencies reveal where political authority truly lies.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with constitutional liberalism and rule-of-law arguments.
Reading note
Advanced and controversial. Useful for state power, emergency politics, and critiques of liberal legalism.
Best paired with
The Federalist Papers.