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Carl Schmitt Books

1 book·~10 min total read

Carl Schmitt (1888–1985) was a German jurist, constitutional theorist, and political philosopher. He is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial thinkers in modern political theory.

Known for: The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

Books by Carl Schmitt

The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

politics·10 min read

First published in 1923, this classic work by Carl Schmitt examines the structural and ideological foundations of parliamentary democracy. Schmitt argues that the liberal ideal of open discussion and public deliberation has lost its legitimacy, and that the parliamentary form has entered a crisis in an age of political polarization and mass movements. The book remains a key text in twentieth-century political theory, offering a critical analysis of liberal democracy from a conservative perspective.

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Key Insights from Carl Schmitt

1

Concept of Parliamentarism

In its origin, parliamentarism carried a noble faith: that truth emerges from the confrontation of opinions and that reason governs when discussion is free and public. I traced this idea to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when liberal thinkers associated openness and transparency with the m...

From The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

2

Critique of Liberalism

Liberalism, which supplied the philosophical lifeblood to parliamentarism, rests on faith in the individual and rational discourse. Its values — freedom of opinion, tolerance, and pluralism — are defensible as moral ideals, yet politically they dissolve unity. Where liberalism insists on safeguardin...

From The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

About Carl Schmitt

Carl Schmitt (1888–1985) was a German jurist, constitutional theorist, and political philosopher. He is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial thinkers in modern political theory. His writings on sovereignty, the state of exception, and political theology have profoundly shaped de...

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Carl Schmitt (1888–1985) was a German jurist, constitutional theorist, and political philosopher. He is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial thinkers in modern political theory. His writings on sovereignty, the state of exception, and political theology have profoundly shaped debates on law and politics.

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Carl Schmitt (1888–1985) was a German jurist, constitutional theorist, and political philosopher. He is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial thinkers in modern political theory.

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