MystischerAnarchismus

Critchley's Essay poses the question of the influence of the history of mystical anarchism on contemporary ethical and political thought. It examines the multifaceted reciprocal references between religion and politics and sheds new light on the thesis of a secularized theological background of current political concepts. After a re-reading of Carl Schmitt's theory of sovereignty and John Gray's critique of liberal humanism, the anarchistic practices of medieval mystics such as Marguerite Porete and the heretical brothers and sisters of the free spirit are contrasted with more recent forms of anarchism, such as Raoul Vaneigem's situationism. This comparative reference to the mystical tradition of anarchism leads to a re-evaluation of the relationship between religion and politics and to an ethically grounded form of anarchism that advocates for a changed approach to violence and abstraction.