Synopses & Reviews
In this, his most influential work, legal theorist and political philosopher Carl Schmitt argues that liberalism's basis in individual rights cannot provide a reasonable justification for sacrificing oneself for the state. This edition of the 1932 work includes the translator's introduction (by George Schwab) which highlights Schmitt's intellectual journey through the turbulent period of German history leading to the Hitlerian one-party state. It also includes Leo Strauss's analysis of Schmitt's thesis and a foreword by Tracy B. Strong placing Schmitt's work into contemporary context.
Synopsis
In this, his most influential work, legal theorist and political philosopher Carl Schmitt presents a scathing critique of modern liberalism - a critique as cogent today as when it first appeared. George Schwab's introduction to his translation of the 1932 German edition highlights Schmitt's intellectual journey through the turbulent period of German history leading to the Hitlerian one-party state. Also included here is Leo Strauss's analysis of Schmitt's thesis and a foreword by Tracy B. Strong placing Schmitt's work into contemporary context.
Table of Contents
Foreword: Dimensions of the New Debate around Carl Schmitt
Tracy B. Strong
Translator's Note to the 1996 Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
George Schwab
Translator's Note to the 1976 Edition
The Concept of the Political
Carl Schmitt
Notes on Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political
Leo Strauss
Index of Names