The Problem of Political Foundations in Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas

In this book, Gavin Rae analyses the foundations

of political life by undertaking a critical comparative analysis of the

political theologies of Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas. In so doing, Rae

contributes to key debates in contemporary political philosophy, specifically those

relating to the nature of, and the relationship between, the theological, the

political, and the ethical, as well as those questioning the existence of

ahistoric metaphysical, ontological, and epistemological foundations. While the

theological is often associated with belief in a fixed foundation such as God

or the truth of a religion, Rae identifies another sense rooted in

epistemology. On this understanding, the ontological limitations of human

cognition mean that, ultimately, human truth is based in faith and so can never

be certain. The argument developed suggests that Levinas" conception of the

political is grounded in theology in the sense of religion, particularly the

revelations of Judaism. For this reason, Levinas claims that the political

decision is based on how to implement a prior religiously-inspired norm:

justice. Schmitt, in contrast, develops a conception of the political rooted in

epistemic faith to claim that the political decision is normless. While

sympathetic to Schmitt"s conception of theology and its relationship to the

political, Rae concludes by arguing that the emphasis Levinas places on

responsibility is crucial to understanding the implications of this. The

continuing relevance of Schmitt"s and Levinas" political theologies is that

they teach us that, while the political decision is ultimately normless, we

bear an infinite responsibility for theconsequences of this normless decision.