The Political Theology and the Exception: Carl Schmitt and the Problem of Sovereignty

Carl Schmitt was one of the founders of new development in theory of the state and the concept of sovereignty in the modern era, with its landmark book, political theology. With introducing the concept of sovereignty, He argued that, decision is the main characteristics of the sovereignty and sovereign and the exception is constitutive element of sovereign. Schmitt’s political theology is a defense of the absolutist state and denial of the theory of liberal democracy. According to Schmitt, liberalism begins to sideline the concept of sovereignty as the wholly and exclusively political entity. He insists that liberalism, with transmiting the power to decide on the establishment and the exception status to dialogue institutions (such as parliament) actually impoverishes the state. Focusing on the concept of sovereignty from the viewpoints of philosophers such as Jean Bodin, Thomas Hobbes, Walter Benjamin and Chantal Mouffeto this article inquires the genealogy and analysis-interpretation of this concept in Schmitt’s political theology and tries to show within the concept of sovereignty, connection of this concept to other conceps such as decision and exception.