Journal of Religion & Society Beyond the Politics of Theological Despair
Date
2006-08-19
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Publisher
Lebanon Valley College
Abstract
This paper critically explores the political theology of Carl Schmitt. It argues that Schmitt’s analysis,
which links the transcendence of God with the political concept of sovereignty, is both too nostalgic
and too severe. In the place of Schmitt’s political theology that disdains democracy for the failures of
modern liberalism, this paper instead draws on the recent collaborative works of Michael Hardt and
Antonio Negri to make the case for a more thoroughgoing commitment to democracy, a commitment
that goes beyond the modern liberal concept of popular sovereignty by appealing to the disparate and
sometimes unruly voices of the multitude.