Politics · Book club
The Concept of the Political book club questions
Here are 11 book club questions for The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmitt, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Carl Schmitt's central move in The Concept of the Political is definitional: he argues that the specifically political distinction is the distinction between friend and enemy.
Carl Schmitt · 1932 · 2h 0m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 11 questions
- 1.
Schmitt's friend-enemy distinction describes how political life actually operates rather than how it should. Does his description seem accurate to the political conflicts you observe today?
- 2.
He argues that liberalism doesn't eliminate political conflict but merely misnames it. What political conflicts do you think are currently being treated as economic negotiations or moral debates in ways that obscure what's actually happening?
- 3.
The sovereign is whoever decides the exception. Can you identify a contemporary situation where that question — of who actually has the power to define an emergency — is being contested?
- 4.
Schmitt was a Nazi Party member and apologist for the regime. How does that biography affect the way you engage with his analytical arguments?
- 5.
He argues that a universal humanity with no enemies is politically incoherent — you can only have politics if there are genuine conflicts between groups. Is he right?
- 6.
Thinkers across the political spectrum — from Agamben to neoconservatives — have used Schmitt's framework. What does it mean for a set of analytical tools to be politically promiscuous in this way?
- 7.
What is the difference between a political opponent and a political enemy in Schmitt's sense? Where does that line get drawn, and who draws it?
- 8.
Schmitt's concept of the state of exception influenced Giorgio Agamben's analysis of the post-9/11 security state. Is that application faithful to Schmitt's argument?
- 9.
Is Schmitt's critique of liberal parliamentarism descriptively accurate even if his conclusions about what should replace it are wrong?
- 10.
He argues that every political system rests on a decision — an act of will — that precedes and cannot be fully justified by legal norms. Does that claim seem right to you?
- 11.
What would it mean to take Schmitt's analysis seriously without accepting his political conclusions? Is that possible, or does accepting the analysis commit you to something?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for The Concept of the Political?
Here are 11 book club questions for The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmitt, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on political theory, sovereignty, conflict.
How long should a book club discussion of The Concept of the Political last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in The Concept of the Political?
Political theory, Sovereignty, Conflict, Liberal democracy, Philosophy of law. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like The Concept of the Political or questions for other book club picks.
