Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty (Columbia Studies in Political Thought / Political History) Paperback – May 29, 2012

This is a remarkable book. I just have a brief comment on the Kindle edition: Contrarily to most Kindle books, it does not show the page number, only the Kindle Location Number, which unfortunately makes it unquotable. Maybe this could be fixed?

Truly an outstanding work of modern Political Theology. This book functions not as a review, a channeling, or an exorcism of Schmitt, but as a decision; a free act of will in the name of the re-emerging study today; ex nihilo with meaning!

The book is a pleasure to read: profound thinking phrased in a clear and fascinating style (it parallels Schmitt in this respect, too).A fundamental contribution to understanding Schmitt through an American mind.

This book is the best example how to read Carl Schmitt as universal political philosopher. All who are interesting in contemporary political theory extremely must read it.

A philosophical refutation of Carl Schmitt's Political Theology. Pretty well whacks Schmitt and his notion of sovereignty and exclusion that served the Nazis so well..

Kahn begins and ends his review of Carl Schmitt's "Political Theology" with an expression of American exceptionalism. Where does it come from and is it justified? In the end, freedom is only found in a realist idea of political theology because liberalism, absent of the "exception to the rules" lacks freedom.Kahn is really explaining how national interest, a state's existence, has become the highest order. It's the realist stance that butts heads with Yoder's idolatry (putting state's interests above morality is like making the state an idol). "The popular sovereign... is the mystical corpus of the state, the source of ultimate meaning for citizens (pg 121)."My thought; Is God sovereign because He can make exception to his own laws or because He is the only one who truly understands the physical and spiritual laws of all existence? Kahn doesn't address this.When we take the idea of sovereignty, God's sovereignty, and apply it to state power, we now get Schmitt's dictum that, "All significant concepts of modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts." And when you secularize theological concepts you may confuse the original intent. Kahn holds that political theory is not as helpful as political theology. Theology understands sacrifice while liberalism is confused by it.Can anyone apply political theology to humanity without knowing the character of God? To say that humans have freedom because we are able to act in exception to a law is not the same as Schmitt's divine creation where God worked the ultimate exception to all laws. God is all loving AND just, all the time. Kahn barely mentions the moral dualism but it has to be implied. Is the sovereign state, exercising freedom through exception, on a completely different moral plane than the individual responsibility to a loving and just God?There are a lot of great quotes and ideas in Kahn's work as he meshes politics, philosophy, law, anthropology and faith into his thesis. Kahn digs into philosophy when he discusses the origin of laws and ideas themselves. What comes first, the process that makes a law legitimate or the law itself? According to Kahn war, love, sacrifice and mercy are all exceptions to law at some level. They are counters to liberal theory. How does politics explain love and justice or law and mercy?It's good read, very heavy at certain parts which makes it difficult to skim. Take your time.

This book is on the Rorotoko list. Professor Kahn's interview on "Political Theology" ran as the Rorotoko Cover Feature on April 25, 2011 (and can be read in the Rorotoko archive).