Carl Schmitt’s Concept of the Political

On Schmitt's Extremity of Friend and Enemy

If friend and enemy are virtues, people's lives gravitate towards the middle. Carl Schmitt's distinction would be a rare extremity which cannot hold its premise, as it would dissolve without basis to define first a friend, then an enemy. He has only two-piece 'language salad'- Broccoli, and not-broccoli. It is possible to some extent to have such distinction in war-time, but what good war would lead to another war, if not just another excuse for another war? Was it never in the war, nor in Carl Schmitt's proposed distinction?

The Political as a Veil on Cartesian Quest

"Political" here, seems more like throwing a veil on a Cartesian-quest and trying to sell a bunch of ammo in the name of having found 'the higher and pure-er' of two kinds (a Nietzschean Lol implied. Imagine ‘ol-man with a smirk!). Carl Schmitt’s articulation is impressive, though sometimes he sounds more like a desperate mystic who eventually would find himself to be his only friend and only enemy (America thrived on manufacturing enemies until it brought the war home, to their own). Or maybe his Hegelian ways create anticipation for a serious metaphysics, yet only in first appearance, “until the whole thing gets lost in 'the sacred space-war'.”

Reading Schmitt Through a Phenomenological Lens

Yes, good text if read through Phenomenology or meta lens, then what does not? if one’s got shades, why not find new ways of seeing*(John Berger)? Often it reads like a pre-war manual (I'm still halfway through the pdf) with a few convincing arguments ‘to not-consider’ the liberal project. And with that said, I cannot not take-part in the liberal bashing.

Critiquing Liberalism's Hypothesis

Libs got too many chinks in their hypothesis of 'moving forward’ to a future where "Différance" is defeated. What naïve nihilistic idea; to equalize by rights, until there is no need of such rights. They clearly cannot validate antagonism, yet credit themselves for liberating the ‘choice to choose’. End of the day, It will be liberals who beat Carl Schmitt for having invented nothing but enemies of two kinds. A non-liberal state, (in Carl’s enemy, the other is a compound- a group, not one enemy-person in human flesh). The other - their own, the heterogeneous mass (despite their Utopian dream of total consensus).

The Consequences of Liberal Denial

Libs probably understand their existential crisis as they denied Canadian ‘fringe-minority’ (their own) during Covid, then a sea of people in Gaza (the external), regardless of their age, creed and ideology- an absolutely horrendous killing spree. One thing Carl Schmitt offers and I admire his clarity on that- his position in the field of politics. While Libs build their Disneyland on foundation of democracy- An equitable ‘lottery-ticket’ one for each, yet some win some lose.

Insights from Bhagavad Gita on Politics

In Bhagavad Geeta (a Hindu scripture), both the sacred and the profane have a ‘human nuance’ in spite of their shared murderous intent. Hegel attracts dialecticians of all sorts for their particular need and use. It would be unfair to blame Hegel’s ways, considering the limited scope of Philosophy in day-to-day chores. Though ‘to reflect’ is to be human, WYSIWYG comes first, then the reflection.

Schmitt's Distinction and Its Implications

Carl Schmitt’s distinction works fine; if a priori (priori as an undeterminable condition). It claims a 'group of minimum two', yet never provides information about its constituents. Minimum two people- arranged opposite to each other for distinction. Oh this "an empty-ever full of itself Russian doll" game. A war of flagships with no one holding those flags. This army is likely to run into recruitment issues, as it has been the case with religion lately. Here’s a quote from Bhagvad Geeta, to get the gist of Carl Schmitt's imagined ‘ancient-future’. It stands good for most 'political' if not all, regardless of where one claims to be on the horse-shoe. 

"Nobody is nobody's friend, nobody is nobody's enemy. But it is only the behavior by which one can understand who is his friend and who is his enemy." - Bhagavad Geeta | ...and now Carl Schmitt.

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