---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The metaphysical image that a definite…"
description: "\"The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the world has the same structure as what the world immediately understands to be appropriate as ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg"
---

#  The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the…

![“The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the world has the same structure as what the world immediately understands to be appropriate as a form of its political organization.” quote by Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg)

> “The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the world has the same structure as what the world immediately understands to be appropriate as a form of its political organization.”

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Political structures mirror the dominant worldview of an era, shaping and being shaped by it.

**In simple terms:** Ideas shape politics and vice versa.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the interplay of ideas and power.

Themes

politics worldview structure history philosophy

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

theoretical philosophical

When to use this quote

- Policy making
- education
- media analysis
- activism

Key Concepts

ontology ideology social contract state formation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your era’s worldview influence its politics?
- Can political systems evolve without changing underlying ideas?

A Different Perspective

Ideas alone cannot change structures without action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Epoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epoch/) [Metaphysical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphysical/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The more populous the world and the more intricate its structure, the greater must be its fundamental insecurity. A world-structure too elaborately scientific, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-l-lucas/the-more-populous-the-world-and-the-more-intricate-its-structure-the/)

[F. L. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-l-lucas/)

> [Of course, Marxism is an example of what Carl Popper would have called a 'World Three' structure, in that it's got immense power as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/of-course-marxism-is-an-example-of-what-carl-popper-would-have-called/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Music for a long time has been telling what the world is like. What music has to say now, in a manner that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-siegel/music-for-a-long-time-has-been-telling-what-the-world-is-like-what/)

[Eli Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-siegel/)

> [If words are not things, or maps are not the actual territory, then, obviously, the only possible link between the objective world and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/if-words-are-not-things-or-maps-are-not-the-actual-territory-then/)

[Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/)

> [Every language having a structure, by the very nature of language, reflects in its own structure that of the world as assumed by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/every-language-having-a-structure-by-the-very-nature-of-language/)

[Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/)

> [We have two distinct types of political organization to take into account; and clearly, too, when their origins are considered, it is impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/we-have-two-distinct-types-of-political-organization-to-take-into/)

[Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/)

> [We must consider not only why the classical theory of democracy appears to be in contradiction with the observed practice, but also why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/we-must-consider-not-only-why-the-classical-theory-of-democracy/)

[Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/)

> [A political organization is a transferable commodity. You could not find a better way of killing virtue than by packing it into one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay-chapman/a-political-organization-is-a-transferable-commodity-you-could-not/)

[John Jay Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay-chapman/)

> [The UAWK is a mass-based political organization of our socialist agricultural workers which was founded and has developed under the wise guidance of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/the-uawk-is-a-mass-based-political-organization-of-our-socialist/)

[Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/)

> [When a political organization loses contact with its origin, it declines and risks implosion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/when-a-political-organization-loses-contact-with-its-origin-it/)

[Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/)

> [The merely political aspect of the land is never very cheering; men are degraded when considered as the members of a political organization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-merely-political-aspect-of-the-land-is-never-very-cheering-men/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [It (Congress) is a funny party. It is the largest political organization in the world but perhaps does not have a single rule or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-gandhi/it-congress-is-a-funny-party-it-is-the-largest-political-organization/)

[Rahul Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-gandhi/)

> [Our political organization, based as it is on an eighteenth-century separation of powers and on a nineteenth-century nationalist state, is generally recognized to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-quigley/our-political-organization-based-as-it-is-on-an-eighteenth-century/)

[Carroll Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-quigley/)

> [The interest which lay behind Federalism was that of well-to-do citizens in a stable political and social order, and this interest aroused them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/the-interest-which-lay-behind-federalism-was-that-of-well-to-do/)

[Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/)

> [“In the early Middle Ages the dominant form of political organization in Western Europe was the Germanic kingdom, and the German kingdom was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-reese-strayer/in-the-early-middle-ages-the-dominant-form-of-political-organization/)

Joseph Reese Strayer

## More by Carl Schmitt

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [All significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/all-significant-concepts-of-the-modern-theory-of-the-state-are/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [The exception is more interesting than the rule. The rule proves nothing; the exception proves everything. In the exception the power of real life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-exception-is-more-interesting-than-the-rule-the-rule-proves/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“In the nomadic age, the shepherd (nomeus) was the typical symbol of rule. In Statesman, Plato distinguishes the shepherd from the statesman: the nemein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/in-the-nomadic-age-the-shepherd-nomeus-was-the-typical-symbol-of-rule/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“The crisis of European jurisprudence began a century ago with the victory of legal positivism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-crisis-of-european-jurisprudence-began-a-century-ago-with-the/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“Hauriou, became a crown witness for us when he confirmed this connection in 1916, in the midst of WWI: “The revolution of 1789 had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/hauriou-became-a-crown-witness-for-us-when-he-confirmed-this/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I want to paint a canvasthat will be nothing but harmonious tone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/i-want-to-paint-a-canvasthat-will-be-nothing-but-harmonious-tone/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“The political enemy need not be morally evil or aesthetically ugly; he need not appear as an economic competitor, and it may even be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-political-enemy-need-not-be-morally-evil-or-aesthetically-ugly-he/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“True law is not imposed; it arises from unintentional developments. (...)Law emerges (...) as something not merely legislated but given. The later positivism knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/true-law-is-not-imposed-it-arises-from-unintentional-developments-law/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“The most brazen humiliation ever inflicted upon God and mankind, justifying all the curses of the synagogue, is to be found in the 'sive'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-most-brazen-humiliation-ever-inflicted-upon-god-and-mankind/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Sovereign is he who decides on the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/sovereign-is-he-who-decides-on-the-exception/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“Legality has become a poisonous dagger, with which one party stabs the other in the back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/legality-has-become-a-poisonous-dagger-with-which-one-party-stabs-the/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Tell me who your enemy is, and I will tell you who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/tell-me-who-your-enemy-is-and-i-will-tell-you-who-you-are/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“The motorization of law into mere decree was not yet the culmination of simplifications and accelerations. New accelerations were produced by market regulations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-motorization-of-law-into-mere-decree-was-not-yet-the-culmination/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [All law is situational law. The sovereign produces and guarantees the situation in its totality. He has the monopoly over this last decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/all-law-is-situational-law-the-sovereign-produces-and-guarantees-the/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

[Explore all 25 Carl Schmitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

## More Appropriate quotes

> [“Appropriate is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-w-kohlhagen/appropriate-is-overrated/)

Steven W. Kohlhagen

> [I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-monckton/i-was-for-many-years-myself-a-journalist-and-it-is-not-appropriate-to/)

[Christopher Monckton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-monckton/)

> [I don't think 'This Means War' is an appropriate picture to do in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcg/i-don-t-think-this-means-war-is-an-appropriate-picture-to-do-in-3-d/)

[McG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcg/)

> [There is no single best kind of death. A good death is one that is "appropriate" for that person. It is a death in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-s-shneidman/there-is-no-single-best-kind-of-death-a-good-death-is-one-that-is/)

[Edwin S. Shneidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-s-shneidman/)

> [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/)

[Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/)

> [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [I would not, under any circumstances, try to impose my personal faith and belief on the rest of the country. I don't think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/i-would-not-under-any-circumstances-try-to-impose-my-personal-faith/)

[John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/)

> [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/)

[Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/)

> [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/)

[John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/)

> [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/)

Alfred Aho

> [For Father's Day, my kids always give me a bottle of cologne called English Leather. It's appropriate! To them I always smell like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/for-father-s-day-my-kids-always-give-me-a-bottle-of-cologne-called/)

[Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/)

> [As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/as-mayor-i-will-fully-support-my-arts-commission-and-its-professional/)

[Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/)

> [I'm very sensitive in real life. I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-m-very-sensitive-in-real-life-i-cannot-not-cry-if-someone-around-me/)

[Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/)

> [Hate demands existence, and he who hates has to show his hate in appropriate actions and behaviors; in a sense, he has to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/hate-demands-existence-and-he-who-hates-has-to-show-his-hate-in/)

[Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/)

> [A reader does not suddenly comprehend what is being read or studied, in a snap, miraculously. Comprehension needs to be worked forged, by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/a-reader-does-not-suddenly-comprehend-what-is-being-read-or-studied/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

Browse all 1,130 Appropriate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the world has the same structure as what the world immediately understands to be appropriate as a form of its political organization.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Schmitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-epoch-forges-of-the-world-has/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appropriate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-epoch-forges-of-the-world-has/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b8/carl-schmitt-23850_appropriate_the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-e_1134967.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The metaphysical image that a definite epoch forges of the world has the same structure as what the world…” — Carl Schmitt",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Carl Schmitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The metaphysical image that a definite...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-epoch-forges-of-the-world-has/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-metaphysical-image-that-a-definite-epoch-forges-of-the-world-has/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
