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Liberalism in Dialogue: Carl Schmitt’s Critique and Masao Maruyama’s Defense
- 1 Fudan University
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Abstract
Carl Schmitt criticized liberalism by asserting that it negates politics and leads to a crisis of parliamentary democracy. Through his theories on the concept of the political and sovereign decision-making, Schmitt provided a deep analysis of these issues. Masao Maruyama not only highly valued Schmitt’s work but also theoretically borrowed from his ideas. However, Maruyama placed individual subjectivity at the core of his analysis, using Japan’s traditional culture and unique historical and social context as his focus. In doing so, Masao Maruyama both supplemented and, in some aspects, refuted Schmitt’s critique of liberalism. For Schmitt, the survival and integrity of the political entity are paramount, necessitating a clear distinction between friends and enemies. His critique of liberalism centers not only on its moral neutrality but also on its perceived incapacity to make sovereign decisions that guarantee the preservation of the political entity. In contrast, Maruyama contended that Japanese imperialism elevated the state as “the embodiment of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful,” thereby positioning it as a value-laden entity, creating a metaphysical order seemingly justified by the imperative of national survival. Although this might initially appear to align with Schmitt’s notion of the state’s primacy, Maruyama ultimately critiques this belief as an ideological facade, which devolved into a mere instrument of totalitarian rule.
Keywords
Liberalism, Carl Schmitt, Masao Maruyama.
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Cite this article
Xia,Y. (2024). Liberalism in Dialogue: Carl Schmitt’s Critique and Masao Maruyama’s Defense. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,70,76-88.
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