Leo Strauss: An Introduction

Description

Leo Strauss’s lifelong intellectual mission was to recover ‘classical rationalism’, a pursuit that has made him a controversial figure to this day. While his critics see him as responsible for a troubling anti-democratic strain in modern politics, others argue that his thought is in fact the best defence of responsible democracy. Neil Robertson’s new introduction to Strauss aims to transcend these divides and present a non-partisan account of his thought. He shows how Strauss’ intellectual formation in Weimar Germany and flight from Nazism led him to develop a critique of modernity that tended to support a conservative politics, while embracing a radical sense of what philosophy is and can be. He examines the way in which Strauss built upon the thought of Nietzsche and Heidegger in order to show how their 'nihilism' led not to a standpoint beyond western rationality, but to a recovery of its roots. This skillful reconstruction of the coherence and unity of Strauss’ thought is the essential guide for anyone wishing to fully grasp the contribution of one of the most contentious and intriguing figures in 20th century intellectual history. Cover Title page Copyright page Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations of Works by Strauss Introduction Who is Leo Strauss? Themes in Strauss’s Thought The Return to Natural Right The Theological-Political Problem The Exoteric/Esoteric Distinction Classical Political Philosophy The Critique of Modernity The Thesis of this Book 1 Recovering Natural Right in the Weimar Republic Nietzsche and the Weimar Republic Strauss’s Relation to Heidegger Strauss’s Account of Nihilism Positivism and Historicism The Recovery of Natural Right The Second Cave 2 The Theological-Political Problem Strauss’s Theologico-Political Predicament The Discovery of Pre-Modern Rationality and Revelation The Opposition Between Reason and Revelation: Athens and Jerusalem Philosophy Defined by its Opposition to Religion Strauss’s Own Relation to Athens and Jerusalem The Genealogy of Religion What is Missing from Strauss’s Account Strauss as Jewish Thinker 3 Esoteric Writing and Political Philosophy Esoteric Writing as Political Philosophy Modern Esoteric Writing The Art of Reading Esoteric Writings The Objectivity of Reading Between the Lines Strauss’s Writings as Practicing the Art of Esoteric Writing 4 Recovering Classical Political Philosophy On Tyranny Philosophy as Knowledge of Causes vs. Philosophy as Knowledge of Problems Natural Right and History Socrates Strauss’s Account of Dialectics Natural Right The Problematic Status of Natural Right A Pause to Clarify Natural Right at the Level of the City The Schools of Natural Right Recovery or Project? 5 The Critique of Modernity The Critique of Religion The Rejection of the Ancient Account of Nature The Modern Project and its Culmination or Failure in Nihilism The First Wave The Second Wave The Third Wave 6 Strauss, the Straussians, and America Straussians The Cultural and Political Impact of the Straussians Leo Strauss Today Conclusion Further Reading Works Cited Works by Strauss Works by Authors Other than Strauss Index EULA