The Distinction Between Friend and Enemy in Carl Schmitt

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Published: Mar 25, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.22758
Keywords:
Carl Schmitt; The Political; Friend-Enemy Distinction; Sovereignty; State of Exception; Liberalism; Weimar Republic; Political Theology
Trisevgeni Georgakopoulou
Abstract

This article provides a critical examination of Carl Schmitt’s political theory, centered on his fundamental criterion for "the political": the distinction between friend and enemy. The author analyzes Schmitt's critique of the Weimar Republic, arguing that the blurring of boundaries between state and society leads to a "quantitative" totalitarianism characterized by weakness and the influence of organized interests. The study explores how Schmitt defines the "enemy" not as a personal rival or a moral antagonist, but as the "existential other" whose presence poses a threat to the community's way of life, thereby necessitating the possibility of physical killing and war. Furthermore, the paper contrasts Schmitt’s vision of a hierarchically ordered state with Liberalism and Marxism, concluding that for Schmitt, the essence of sovereignty lies in the "exception"—the decision-making power that identifies the enemy to preserve the political unity of the state.

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References
Mouffe, Chantal. The Challenge of Carl Schmitt. London: Verso, 1999.
Schmitt, Carl. The Concept of the Political [Η έννοια του Πολιτικού]. Edited by Giorgos Stamatis. Translated by Aliki Lavranou. Athens: Kritiki, 2009.
Schwab, George. The Challenge of the Exception: An Introduction to the Political Ideas of Carl Schmitt between 1921 and 1936. 2nd ed. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.