A Decisionist Among the Pluralists? The Reception of Carl Schmitt in the ‘Post-Marxist Problem-Space’ and the Idea of Left Schmittianism

The subject of this article is a case of so-called ‘left Schmittianism’, specifically located within the intellectual formation of post-Marxist theory. The theorists investigated, Paul Hirst (1946–2003), Chantal Mouffe (b. 1943), and Paul Piccone (1940–2004), are all three important exponents of this formation. They were also heavily engaged in the interpretation of the work of Carl Schmitt which they regarded an indispensable point of reference for renewal of left political thought. Much of the discussion regarding this reception of Schmitt’s work has focused on its theoretical and moral appropriateness. Here the focus instead falls on the historical and intellectual context of the reception rather than on moral evaluation, and the article investigates how and why these leftist intellectuals, in their own terms, entered into a conversation with Schmitt’s work. The article specifically focuses on the problematic relationship between the post-Marxists’ embrace of pluralism and Schmitt’s anti-liberal emphasis on social homogeneity, a point that has featured heavily in the critique of so-called left Schmittianism. By investigating this specific intellectual current, the article aims to contribute to the debate on the character and even existence of something called left Schmittianism more broadly. It suggests that a greater focus on active reception rather than on passive influence paints a dramatically different picture of Schmitt’s role in left political thought than that which has hitherto dominated the discussion. Ultimately, the article argues that the reception of Schmitt in this case does not challenge, but rather emanates from an acceptance of, and adjustment to, the systemic limits inherent to the post-socialist, ‘end of history’ era and its liberal-capitalist foundations, an observation in line with a wider recognition of a de-radicalization of critical theory since the late 20th century.