Demokrati og politiske styreformer

Nietzsche and his philosophy is perhaps the hidden hand behind Carl Schmitts famous understanding of the political. His understanding of the political has two dimensions: a conceptual and an aesthetic. Schmitts understanding of concepts reveals that the contexts in which the concept is used and the conflicts which motivates the use of concepts are pivotal notably in relation to his concept of the political. This understanding of concepts reveals a deeper commitment. This deeper commitment is revealed in Schmitts use of aesthetic categories in his description of the political and why Schmitt so strongly emphasize the importance of politics. In regard to both the conceptual and aesthetic dimensions of Schmitts notion of the political, there are clear parallels to Nietzsche and his philosophy. This paper will explicate the Nietzschian influence on Schmitt. Much has been written on Nietzsche’s influence on conservatism in general and on the German Weimar conservatives, but not in specific relation to Schmitts understanding of the political. This paper will hopefully enlighten this blind spot.