The aim of the paper is to present the principle of limited enmity as education to humaneness. In the first part I focus on Schmitt’s presentation of this principle as a corrective to the natural human inclination to discriminate and defame one’s enemy. He points out a line of thought in international law that humanized war by defining enemies as equals and rejecting the tendency to completely annihilate one’s enemy. He sees it as a counterbalance to the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century that promoted the absolutization of enmity. In the second part I examine Jünger’s autobiographical reflections on his military involvement in World War I. I demonstrate that both his personal maxims and his practical conduct conformed to the principle of limited enmity. In the third part I highlight four common features of Schmitt’s and Jünger’s reflections that I consider relevant for education to humaneness in the political conflicts of our age.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.