These thinkers explore the relationship between theology, authority, and political power.
Carl Schmitt (1888-1985) – Theorist of Sovereignty
Essential Works:
- Political Theology – "Sovereign is he who decides on the exception"
- The Concept of the Political – Friend/enemy distinction
- The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy – Critique of liberal proceduralism
- The Nomos of the Earth – Spatial order and international law
Key Ideas:
- Decisionism – Authority is grounded in decision, not process
- State of exception – Sovereignty reveals itself in crisis
- Political theology – All political concepts are secularized theological concepts
- Friend/enemy – Politics is fundamentally about who belongs and who doesn't
Erik Peterson – Theologian of Anti-Political Theology
Essential Work:
- Monotheism as a Political Problem
Key Ideas:
- Christianity ends political theology – The Incarnation and Trinity break the link between divine monarchy and earthly monarchy
- Critique of Schmitt – Christian eschatology prevents simple translation of theology into politics