Book Review of Schmitt’s Political Theology

Abstract

The thought of Karl Schmitt is built around the formulation of a new concept of sovereignty. This concept breaks with the liberal conception of the law as the absolute authority transcending the state and moves towards a political-theological conception of sovereignty that links it to the personal capacity of the ruler to decide in the state of exception. Pure rationalist law no longer makes decisions; instead, they are monopolized by the sovereign dictator, who makes laws that give expression to his charisma and not to any transcendental standard.