{"product_id":"9781349955053","title":"The Problem of Political Foundations in Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas","description":"\u003ch1\u003eThe Problem of Political Foundations in Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas\u003c\/h1\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRae, Gavin\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Gavin Rae analyses the foundations\nof political life by undertaking a critical comparative analysis of the\npolitical theologies of Carl Schmitt and Emmanuel Levinas. In so doing, Rae\ncontributes to key debates in contemporary political philosophy, specifically those\nrelating to the nature of, and the relationship between, the theological, the\npolitical, and the ethical, as well as those questioning the existence of\nahistoric metaphysical, ontological, and epistemological foundations. While the\ntheological is often associated with belief in a fixed foundation such as God\nor the truth of a religion, Rae identifies another sense rooted in\nepistemology. On this understanding, the ontological limitations of human\ncognition mean that, ultimately, human truth is based in faith and so can never\nbe certain. The argument developed suggests that Levinas’ conception of the\npolitical is grounded in theology in the sense of religion, particularly the\nrevelations of Judaism. For this reason, Levinas claims that the political\ndecision is based on how to implement a prior religiously-inspired norm:\njustice. Schmitt, in contrast, develops a conception of the political rooted in\nepistemic faith to claim that the political decision is normless. While\nsympathetic to Schmitt’s conception of theology and its relationship to the\npolitical, Rae concludes by arguing that the emphasis Levinas places on\nresponsibility is crucial to understanding the implications of this. The\ncontinuing relevance of Schmitt’s and Levinas’ political theologies is that\nthey teach us that, while the political decision is ultimately normless, we\nbear an infinite responsibility for theconsequences of this normless decision.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublished by: Palgrave Macmillan\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublication Date: 2018-04-21\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eISBN-13: 9781349955053\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDOI: 10.1057\/978-1-137-59168-5\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDimensions: 210cm x148cm\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePages: 270\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Palgrave Macmillan UK","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44753475731596,"sku":"9781349955053","price":49.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9781349955053_06a03dcc-3996-444f-9ac2-72c1be939ce3.jpg?v=1776778657","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9781349955053","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}