Maitre and Schmitt: the Draculas of political philosophy? · PDF fileMaitre and Schmitt: the Draculas of political philosophy? Carl Schmitt ... Politics Friend or enemy The possibility

Maitre and Schmitt: the Draculas of political philosophy?

Carl Schmitt (1888-1985)

Jan Verplaetse – Ghent University

Joseph de Maitre (1753-1821)

Max Schreck as Nosferatu(1922)

Bella Lugosi as Dracula(1932)

The collapse of liberal democracy?

Gary Oldman as The Count(1992)

What is liberal democracy?

POLITICAL LIBERALISM POPULAR SOVEREIGNITY

“liberalism” “democracy”

+


DEMOCRACY

People have the power

Representative democracy

Regular elections

Right to vote and to be elected

Trias politicas (juridical, executive, legislative)

Rule of law

main ideas




+


POLITICAL LIBERALISM

John Rawls (1921-2002)

Every well-ordered society should guarantee BASIC RIGHTS (equality, liberty) for all citizens

COMPREHENSIVE DOCTRINES should accept these BASIC RIGHTS (overlapping consensus) if politicalactive

The STATE should abstain from favoring a particularCONCEPTION OF THE GOOD LIFE (as formulated bycomprehensive doctrines)

Three main ideas

What is wrong with liberal democracy?

four lines of critique

Carl Schmitt (1888-1985)Joseph de Maitre (1753-1821)


CRITIQUE 1

Liberal democracy ignores the very nature of politics



Domain Antithesis Conflict

Science True or false Research

Economy Profitable or not Competitors

Ethics Good or evil Debating adversaries

Aesthetics Beautiful or ugly Taste

CRITIQUE 1




Domain Distinction Conflict

Science True or false Research

Economy Profitable or not Competition

Ethics Good or evil Debate

Aesthetics Beautiful or ugly Taste

Politics Friend or enemy The possibility of war



Carl Schmitt, The concept of the political (1922)

“It is irrelevant here whether one rejects, accepts, or perhaps finds itan atavistic remnant of barbaric times that nations continue to grouptogether according to friend and enemy, or hopes that the antithesis will one day vanish from the world (…). The concern is here is neitherwith abstractions nor with normative ideals, but with inherent realityand the real possibility of such a distinction.”

“For to the enemy concept belongs the ever present possibility ofcombat (…) It does not mean competition, nor does it mean pureintellectual controversy (…) The friend, enemy, and combat conceptsreceive their real meaning precisely because they refer to the realpossibility of physical killing.”



conflict between friend and enemy

“Geist gegen Geist, Leben gegen Leben”

Sweden, 2016 – sacrifice The Netherlands, 2015 – combat

Continuity of friend – enemy distinction

any domain can be affected by this antithesis

16th century

CHRISTIAN RELIGION

20th century

ECONOMICS

21st century

HUMAN RIGHTS

Protestants >< Catholics Communists >< Capitalists Liberals >< Non-liberals




Any well-ordered society should guarantee BASIC RIGHTS (equality, liberty) for any citizen


The STATE should abstain from favorising a particularCONCEPTION OF THE GOOD LIFE (as formulated bycomprehensive doctrines)

no overlapping consensus


CRITIQUE 2

Liberal democracy cannot cope with exceptional situations


What to do in exceptional situations?

Military action

Bush Hollande

War on Terror Guerre contre le Terrorisme

What to do exceptional situations?

constitutional or legal actions

“La forme républicaine du Gouvernement ne peut faire l’objet d’uneproposition de révision”

Constitution of France (1884)

Hungary (2009) Belgium (2004)




Any well-ordered society should guarantee BASIC RIGHTS (equality, liberty) for any citizen

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION NON-DISCRIMINATION

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

FREEDOM OF EDUCATION

FREEDOM OF RELIGION…

Non-liberals abuse liberal rights liberals respond with non-liberal means

Switzerland does not accept refugees who refusehand-shaking

France bans the wearing of a veil in schools

Loss of nationality for returned IS combattants

Belgium punishes Holocaust deniers

English delinquents lose right to vote

Austria keeps out refugees if “state of emergency”

3000 websites support IS in France

Public appraisal for terror attacks in Belgium andFrance

Muslim schools fundraised by Wahhabism in theNetherlands

60% of Belgian Turks vote for Erdogans AK-party

Examples:Examples:

CRITIQUE 2

Liberal democracy cannot cope with exceptional situations




basic contradiction

promotes inclusion requires exclusion

human rights citizen rights


Critique 3

The necessity of orthodoxy




newcomers declaration (proposal)







“We literally ask to subscribe to our values. This document is morethan a scrap of paper. One should respect this agreement and we willmonitor this.”

Theo Francken




Any well-ordered society should guarantee BASIC RIGHTS (equality, liberty) for all citizens


The STATE should abstain from favoring a particularCONCEPTION OF THE GOOD LIFE (as formulated bycomprehensive doctrines)

The STATE defends one comprehensive doctrine

Three main ideas


Critique 4

The dominant comprehensive doctrine should be based upon non-rational beliefs




Although rational beliefs promise universalagreement, they mostly bring controversy, evenrelativism and skepticism. Due to our limitedknowledge and permanent fear for insecurity weshould endorse non-rational dogma’s such asreligious ones.

Critique 4



Maitre, Etude sur la souveraineté (1870)

Critique 4


“La raison humaine réduite à ses forces individuelles estparfaitement nulle, non seulement pour la création maisencore pour la conservation de toute associationreligieuse ou politique, parce qu’elle ne produit desdisputes. L’homme pour se conduire n’a pas de besoindes problèmes mais des croyances. Son berceau doitêtre environné de dogmes”



Although rational beliefs promise universalagreement, they mostly bring controversy, evenrelativism and skepticism. Due to our limitedknowledge and permanent fear for insecurity weshould endorse non-rational dogma’s such asreligious ones.

Non-rational beliefs stir emotionality and willingnessto act whereas rational beliefs only appeal to ourintellectual curiosity.

Critique 4


Max Schreck as Nosferatu(1922)

Bella Lugosi as Dracula(1932)

Do the critiques of Maitre and Schmitt exceed the fiction of horror?

Gary Oldman as The Count(1992)

The collapse of liberal democracy?

Previous announcements of the end of liberal democracy




“The wars of this century with their extreme violenceand increasing destructiveness, culminating in the manicevil of the Holocaust, raise in an acute way the questionwhether political relations must be governed by powerand coercion alone. If a reasonable just society is notpossible and people are largely amoral, one may askwith Kant whether it is worthwhile for humans to live onearth? We must start with the assumption that areasonable just political society is possible, and for it bepossible, human beings must have a moral nature, not ofcourse a perfect such nature.”

John Rawls, Political Liberalism (1995)

Documents

Maitre and Schmitt: the Draculas of political philosophy? · PDF fileMaitre and Schmitt: the Draculas of political philosophy? Carl Schmitt ... Politics Friend or enemy The possibility