Carl Schmitt for the Masses: The Concept of the Political pt. 3

We finish our look at the concept of "The Political" as Schmitt discusses how the idea plays out in the era of global realities. Is world peace possible? Can we transcend political conflict?

9. Carl Schmitt for the Masses: The Concept of the Political pt. 3

The State and Its Justification

Schmitt sees “the Political” as the foundation of the state, its primary reason for existing. Without it, there is no state. The first objective of the state should always be to protect and maintain the existential way of life of the people who are forming this political unity. Everything else flows out of the political. The fight for the continued existence of a unified people is the reason for the state:

“As long as a politically unified people is prepared to fight for its existence, independence and freedom [that is freedom from the domination of other states] on the basis of a decision emanating from the political entity, this specifically political question has primacy over the technical means by which the battle will be waged.”

As we saw in the previous pieces on this book, Schmitt understands war as the basic reality of politics. What this means is that politicians are always at war, but they may not always be engaged in fighting and combat. This tu…