The Concept of the Political

Carl Schmitt’s book argues that the political is defined by the possibility of distinguishing friends from public enemies, including the possibility of armed conflict.

Friend–enemy distinction: A distinction between a political community’s friends and public enemies, defined by the possibility of conflict. This distinction is the book’s criterion for identifying the political.
The political: The dimension of collective life in which groups confront one another as potential enemies. The book treats this dimension as distinct from, but capable of shaping, other domains.
Carl Schmitt: A German jurist and political theorist known for writings on sovereignty, dictatorship, and political conflict. Schmitt developed the book’s account of the political across several editions.
Deliberative democracy: A theory of democracy that grounds legitimate political decisions in public reasoning and deliberation. It treats reasoned agreement, rather than possible enmity, as central to political legitimacy.
Political theology: The study of how theological concepts and structures shape political ideas and institutions. Schmitt’s account connects political order to decisions that cannot be settled by neutral procedure alone.
Political unity: A collective capable of acting as a distinct political entity. A political people must be able to identify its friends and enemies as a unity.
State: A sovereign political organization governing a territory and population. Schmitt treats the state as the historically central form of political unity.
Weimar Republic: The German republic established after World War I and dissolved when the Nazi regime consolidated power. The book emerged amid disputes over the stability and authority of Germany’s republic.
Agonistic pluralism: A democratic theory that channels enduring political conflict into contest among legitimate adversaries. It adapts Schmitt’s emphasis on conflict while rejecting the enemy’s exclusion from legitimate politics.
Exception: A suspension of ordinary legal rules justified by an emergency. The possibility of existential conflict raises questions about exceptional state power.

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