Abstract
On August 22,1933, Heidegger wrote to Carl Schmitt, "Thank you for having sent me your text [The Concept of the Political], which I already knew in the second edition and which contains an approach of the greatest importance. I would be most appreciative if I could speak with you about this personally some day." The newly appointed Rector then invites Schmitt to collaborate with him in rebuilding the Faculty of Law.
What was behind this praise for his book (which originally appeared in the same year as Being and Time)? What was the reason for the invitation? Both philosophers were equally critical of liberalism and democratic politics. Both had joined the Nazi party in 1933 and both had benefited from it in terms of their careers.
Beyond this, however, there was a deeper, philosophical connection. For all his claimed affinity with Hobbes, Schmitt, in fact, radicalizes and transforms the tradition that follows from him.
At the basis of this transformation is a conception of human existence, one that Schmitt shares with Heidegger. In this article, I first analyze this conception and then present an alternative conception, one stemming from the Czech philosopher, Jan Patočka, to show how it, rather than Schmitt's, opens up the possibility of political life.