Mephistophelean irony in Carl Schmitt's Political Romanticism, The Buribunks and Ex Captivitate Salus

Desmond Manderson, Edwin Bikundo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The argument for the role of various crises of modernity in the totalitarian violence of the twentieth century is well known. However, at the heart of Carl Schmitt’s own role in this troubling history lies a certain irony that complicates the reading, recognition and reckoning of his fearsome and confronting work. This chapter aims to remedy that omission. Schmitt deliberately used irony to feign distance from his own deeply held attitudes as expressed and implied in both his work and his actions. Paradoxically, nothing so foreshadows the Schmitt’s intellectual fate than his own critique on the one hand, and his embrace of the uses and misuses of irony on the other.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCarl Schmitt and The Buribunks
Subtitle of host publicationTechnology, Law, Literature
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages281-301
Number of pages21
ISBN (Electronic)9781000563641
ISBN (Print)9780367548872
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2022

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