The End of Law: Carl Schmitt in the Twenty-First Century

(Paperback, Second Edition)

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Description

Scholarly and political interest in the work of the controversial 20th Century German thinker Carl Schmitt has exploded in the 20 years since William E. Scheuermans important book was first published. However, Scheuermans work remains distinctive. Firstly, it focuses directly on Schmitts complex ideas about law situating his views within broader debates about the rule of law and its fate. The volume shows how every facet of his political thinking was decisively shaped by his legal reflections. Secondly, the volume takes Schmitts Nazi-era political and legal writings no less seriously. Finally, the volume offers a series of studies on figures in postwar US political thought (Friedrich Hayek, Hans Morgenthau, Joseph Schumpeter), demonstrating how Schmitt shaped their own influential theories. This timely second edition underscores how and why the recent growth of interest in Schmitt has been prompted by political developments, for example debates about counterterrorism and emergency government, and the rise of authoritarian populism.

Reviews

Twenty years ago, Scheuermans account of Schmitts political theory questioned the political consequences of CLS and other radical criticisms of the tradition of democratic legalism. The new chapters for this much-needed second edition take the argument further, showing how Schmitts ideas of emergency and sovereignty undermined law and democracy in the name of one-man, patriarchal rule. -- Peter C. Caldwell, Samuel G. McCann Professor, Rice University

Author Bio

William E. Scheuerman is Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Indiana University.