Polarization, politicization and Carl Schmitt

We often tend to interpret today’s polarization as a sign of politicization. In this piece for Public Discourse I argue that it is on the contrary because of depoliticization that we can so carelessly address each other without fear of consequences. In other words we take so much for granted the argument of rights that we feel legitimate in asking from people we call enemies what enemies would never give willingly, all the while never being ready or even capable to act as enemies would do. The problem is not that we are enemies but that we no longer know what it means to be friends.

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