칼 슈미트의 개념 활용의 함의와 그 유의점 －‘카테콘’ 개념과 『로마 가톨릭교와 정치적 형식』의 모티브를 중심으로－

This article analyzes the implications of the main concepts composed and applied by Carl Schmitt and examines the cautions that must be observed when such concepts are invoked in contemporary discourse. To this end, it also focuses on Schmitt’s later concept Katechon and the motif in his early work Roman Catholicism and Political Form (1923), exploring both the continuity found in his thought and the significance it carries. Schmitt, drawing upon a Heraclitean mode of oppositional reasoning, composed the Katechon－“the one who restrains the coming of the Antichrist”－as a concept applicable to legal theory, applying it within the context of an “anti-revolutionary philosophy of the state” intended to counteract the spread of revolutionary ideologies. A similar structure of thought appears in his early work Roman Catholicism and Political Form, where the motif “Grand Inquisitor” directly relates to the logic of arcana imperii, that is, the art of governance prioritizing the maintenance of order. This perspective extends to Schmitt’s notions such as “absolute concept of the Constitution,” “statehood,” and “the guardian of the Constitution,” which continue to function, even today, as rhetorical instruments for legitimizing particular political imaginaries. However, Schmitt’s conceptual framework is grounded in a logic of opposition－indeed, enmity－that excludes the possibility of compromise, and treats pluralism itself as an object of antagonism. Consequently, any uncritical adoption of his concepts inevitably entails theoretical and political risks. This article, therefore, highlights the intrinsic problems within Schmitt’s conceptual application and emphasizes the necessity of a careful awareness of its ideological implications.