Law, Decision, Necessity: Shifting the Burden of Responsibility

Jacques, Johanna

Law, Decision, Necessity: Shifting the Burden of Responsibility

Jacques, Johanna

Authors

Dr Johanna Jacques johanna.jacques@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Contributors

M. Arvidssen
Editor

L. Brännström
Editor

P. Minkkinen
Editor

Abstract

What does it mean to act politically? This paper contributes an answer to this question by looking at the role that necessity plays in the political theory of Carl Schmitt. It argues that necessity, whether in the form of existential danger or absolute values, does not affect the sovereign decision, which must be free from normative determinations if it is to be a decision in Schmitt’s sense at all. The paper then provides a reading of Schmitt in line with Weber’s ethics of responsibility, according to which the political actor decides not arbitrarily and irresponsibly, but actively assumes responsibility for the decisions he takes.

Citation

Jacques, J. (2016). Law, Decision, Necessity: Shifting the Burden of Responsibility. In M. Arvidssen, L. Brännström, & P. Minkkinen (Eds.), The contemporary relevance of Carl Schmitt : law, politics, theology (107-119). Routledge

Online Publication Date	Aug 17, 2015
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2016
Deposit Date	Sep 8, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Feb 17, 2017
Publisher	Routledge
Pages	107-119
Book Title	The contemporary relevance of Carl Schmitt : law, politics, theology.
Chapter Number	7
ISBN	9781138822931
Publisher URL	http://www.routledge.com/9781138822931

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Accepted Book Chapter (505 Kb)
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Copyright Statement
This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Contemporary Relevance of Carl Schmitt: Law, Politics, Theology on 17/08/2015, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9781138822931