38 | Liberal Democracy in Crisis: Carl Schmitt and the Present

Episode Overview

• This episode provides an introduction to the controversial 20th-century German political theorist Carl Schmitt, a prominent Nazi jurist whose work is experiencing a modern renaissance on both the political right and left.
• The hosts explore Schmitt's core critique of liberal parliamentary democracy, which he viewed as an ineffective facade that neutralizes the true, existential nature of politics.
• The discussion breaks down Schmitt's redefinition of democracy as the identity of the ruler and the ruled, a concept he argued is perfectly compatible with dictatorship.
• A central theme is Schmitt's concept of "the political," which he defined as the fundamental distinction between friend and enemy and the ever-present potential for life-and-death conflict.
• The speakers analyze the motivations behind Schmitt's thought, suggesting it stems from a deep fear of chaos and a desire for a strong, decisive authority to impose order.

Key Concepts

• The Schmitt Renaissance: The renewed and paradoxical influence of Carl Schmitt's work on contemporary right-wing thinkers as well as leftist theorists like Giorgio Agamben and Chantal Mouffe.
• Disarticulation of Democracy and Liberalism: Schmitt's central argument that democracy (the identity of ruler and ruled) is a separate concept from liberalism (individual rights, discussion, parliamentarism) and can exist without it.
• Critique of Parliamentary Democracy: Schmitt viewed liberal parliaments not as forums for discovering truth through open debate, but as a dysfunctional facade for advancing the particular interests of capital and political parties.
• Democracy as Dictatorship: A core, controversial claim by Schmitt that a dictatorship can be a legitimate expression of the people's unified will, making it compatible with his definition of democracy.
• The Concept of "The Political": The idea that the essence of politics is the irreducible distinction between friend and enemy, which is existential in nature and always carries the potential for real-world, life-and-death conflict.
• Liberalism's Neutralization of Politics: Schmitt's belief that liberalism attempts to evade the true nature of politics by transforming it into endless discussion or economic competition, thus transgressing the proper borders between spheres of life.
• Fear of Chaos: A psychological interpretation of Schmitt's work, positing that his entire philosophy is driven by a profound fear of social and political dissolution, leading him to prioritize a strong, order-imposing authority over any positive political vision.
• Left-Schmittianism: The adoption of Schmitt's critique of liberal consensus by leftist thinkers to develop an "agonistic" politics that embraces conflict as a central and necessary feature of democracy.

Quotes

• At 0:16 - "'It's like soy Schmitt.'" - A host humorously summarizes the perceived difference between Schmitt's hardcore political theory and the leftist appropriation of his concepts.
• At 2:14 - "'For the last several decades, there has been something of a Schmitt Renaissance, with his work being taken up by contemporary conservatives and reactionaries across the globe.'" - The host explains the renewed relevance of Schmitt's ideas, particularly on the political right.
• At 3:52 - "'Democracy for Schmitt just means the identity of ruler and ruled, of political power with the will of the people.'" - This quote provides Schmitt's core definition of democracy, which he separates from its liberal institutional forms.
• At 4:10 - "'Democracy and dictatorship are, paradoxically, perfectly compatible for Schmitt.'" - A concise summary of one of Schmitt's most controversial claims: that a dictatorship can be a legitimate expression of democratic will.
• At 5:13 - "'You start reading a few lines and you're like, 'Okay, that's facts, that's facts,' and then he tries to seduce you into a set of entailments that maybe you weren't ready to accept.'" - The host describes the alluring nature of Schmitt's critique of liberalism, where accurate diagnoses of its problems are used to justify authoritarian solutions.
• At 25:39 - "'Is Schmitt's problem with this transgression of borders... either that it's not effective, or that it's hypocritical?'" - This quote poses a central question about the nature of Schmitt's critique of liberal democracy: is it a practical critique of its function or a moral/logical critique of its self-contradiction?
• At 28:44 - "'Schmitt's a scared little man. And what he's scared of is that he thinks that at the center of reality is... it's just chaos.'" - The speaker offers a psychological and philosophical interpretation of Schmitt's motivation, suggesting his entire political theory is a reaction to a deep-seated fear of fundamental chaos.
• At 29:08 - "'It isn't as if there is a positive good that he's straining for. All he wants is... the restraining of chaos.'" - This quote clarifies Schmitt's reactionary position, arguing that his goal isn't to achieve a positive political vision but simply to hold back the perceived threat of social dissolution.
• At 31:10 - "'What does it mean to be like a Left-Schmittian?'" - After discussing Schmitt's core ideas, the speaker poses a question about thinkers who adopt his critique of liberal consensus to develop a leftist model of politics.
• At 35:40 - "'For Schmitt... politics is irreducible. It is intensity. It is this friend-enemy distinction.'" - This summarizes the core of Schmitt's concept of "the political," contrasting it with the liberal view that politics can be reduced to debate or economics.

Takeaways

• Be wary of political critiques that accurately diagnose the flaws of liberal democracy but use this diagnosis to justify authoritarian solutions.
• Understand that separating the concept of "democracy" from liberal institutions like free debate and individual rights is a key step toward legitimizing non-liberal forms of rule.
• Acknowledge that politics involves an irreducible element of conflict that cannot be entirely neutralized by economic competition or procedural debate.
• When evaluating a political theory, consider the underlying motivations behind it; a desire for order motivated by fear can lead to very different outcomes than a desire for justice or freedom.
• Critically examine how ideas from controversial thinkers are adopted across the political spectrum, and question whether these adaptations successfully shed their original dangerous implications.
• The appeal of "dictatorial democracy" often lies in its perceived effectiveness and ability to take decisive action against perceived threats, a trade-off for liberal principles.