In this book, Schmitt discusses the arguments raised against his Politische Theologie by a theologist named Peterson. Even more than the first book, it is a reading of very specific theological and political sources that I had not encountered before reading this book. This is why I would say that this book is of less relevance to the public at large, but more so for the readers interested in Schmitt's relation with theology.

Schmitt displays some brilliant, lucid arguments that immediately convince me of the strength of his thinking (which is, again, also the danger: I believe that one should, finally, overcome Schmitt, but this is a hard task indeed). Especially the post-scriptum, where he himself suggests a counter-argument for political theology is haunting. The era of the political may have ended in a devaluation of human freedom as a reduction of freedom to the freedom of the market.

The core idea of this book is so simple and straightforward that it is sufficiently captured in the two most famous passages - the first sentence of the first chapter and the first paragraph of the third chapter. The rest of the book is just elaboration upon these points in relation to the ideas of various legal theorists and philosophers, notably Hobbes, Rousseau, and the anarchists. If you're reading this to get a background in Schmitt so that you can use him in your contemporary work, proceed; but if you're just trying to familiarize yourself with his ideas, you don't need to read much of it to get the point. ( )

Essential reading for students of current political thought, as Schmitt has become an important reference since the mid- to late 90s. Not a particularly well-written book, but lucid enough. The core of Schmitt's argument comes through, though he spends more time explaining concepts and describing opposing theories than actually presenting a thorough argument for his own position. ( )