A nation begins to die the moment it forgets who its enemies are, because identity is shaped not only by what we are, but by what we are willing to reject.
Of course it can. We’ve already come perilously close to an era where dissent of any meaningful size was impossible. If current artificial intelligence trends continue there is zero reason to believe that a future where untiring algorithms censor every form of communication and manipulate the human mind towards progressive ends forever is anything close to impossible.
Yes, Schmitt wrote at length on Christianity, especially in relation to sovereignty and legal order. His concept of “political theology” is rooted in the idea that the structure of political authority in the modern West is a direct inheritance from Christian metaphysics. As he put it in “Political Theology,” “All significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.” He wasn’t just theorizing about this in the abstract. In “Roman Catholicism and Political Form,” he argued that the Catholic Church once provided a visible, hierarchical order that mirrored and legitimized political power. For Schmitt, liberalism failed because it attempted to erase these theological foundations, replacing concrete decision with abstraction.
He saw Christianity, particularly Catholicism, as once having unified faith and authority. But he also feared that modern Christianity had become depoliticized and overly sentimental. In a way, his critique of liberalism is a critique of how Christianity was secularized and then used as a moral weapon against the political itself. So yes, and to reiterate, Schmitt absolutely wrestled with Christianity, both as a source of strength and, later, as a source of weakness.
War will always come. To prepare, man must declare war on himself, on his weaknesses, on his boyish conceits, on his beautiful abstractions and illusions. Only then can he began to fight.
“It cannot last”
Of course it can. We’ve already come perilously close to an era where dissent of any meaningful size was impossible. If current artificial intelligence trends continue there is zero reason to believe that a future where untiring algorithms censor every form of communication and manipulate the human mind towards progressive ends forever is anything close to impossible.
Exactly. Eternal Misery Is Always Eternal.
Ashes and Echoes
Excellent analysis, it would be appropriate to name the perpetrators of this fatal development...
You did it better but I also just wrote something about Schmitt. Do you know if he delved into Christianity at all?
Yes, Schmitt wrote at length on Christianity, especially in relation to sovereignty and legal order. His concept of “political theology” is rooted in the idea that the structure of political authority in the modern West is a direct inheritance from Christian metaphysics. As he put it in “Political Theology,” “All significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.” He wasn’t just theorizing about this in the abstract. In “Roman Catholicism and Political Form,” he argued that the Catholic Church once provided a visible, hierarchical order that mirrored and legitimized political power. For Schmitt, liberalism failed because it attempted to erase these theological foundations, replacing concrete decision with abstraction.
He saw Christianity, particularly Catholicism, as once having unified faith and authority. But he also feared that modern Christianity had become depoliticized and overly sentimental. In a way, his critique of liberalism is a critique of how Christianity was secularized and then used as a moral weapon against the political itself. So yes, and to reiterate, Schmitt absolutely wrestled with Christianity, both as a source of strength and, later, as a source of weakness.
Thank you!
War will always come. To prepare, man must declare war on himself, on his weaknesses, on his boyish conceits, on his beautiful abstractions and illusions. Only then can he began to fight.