Contra Schmitt: Walter Benjamin, Leo Strauss and Carl Schmitt

Abstract This joint essay puts Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin into conversation regarding their respective relationship to Carl Schmitt. That such a dialogue between the political philosopher regarded as a precursor of neo-conservativism and the idiosyncratic Marxist who continues to inspire the contemporary left can benefit from a comparison of their respective relationships to Carl Schmitt is far from self-evident. Yet, investigating the purported proximity of both Strauss and Benjamin to certain aspects of Schmitt’s thought harbors the promise of illuminating not only their divergent approach to political theology, but also the current interest in Schmitt’s anti-liberal thought. Saving Benjamin and Strauss from their purported proximity to Schmitt allows us to think of their legacies anew. Most importantly in the context of this essay, disentangling Benjamin and Strauss from Schmitt invites us to question the legitimacy of Schmitt’s towering role in the realm of political theology and to highlight these German-Jewish thinkers’ contribution to a twentieth-century Jewish political theology.