Leo Strauss and His Catholic Readers

Description

This book looks at the work and influence of Leo Strauss in a variety of ways that will be of interest to readers of political philosophy. It will be of particular interest to Catholics and scholars of other religious traditions. Strauss had a great deal of interaction with his contemporary Catholic scholars, and many of his students or their students teach or have taught at Catholic colleges and universities in America. Leo Strauss and His Catholic Readers brings together work by scholars from two continents, some of whom knew Strauss, one of whom was his student at the University of Chicago. The first section of essays considers Catholic responses to Strauss’s project of recovering Classical natural right as against modern individual rights. Some of the authors suggest that his approach can be a fruitful corrective to an uncritical reception of modern ideas. Nevertheless, most point out that the Catholic cannot accept all of Strauss’s project. The second section deals with areas of overlap between Strauss and Catholics. Some of the chapters explore encounters with his contemporary scholars while others turn to more current concerns. The final section approaches the theological-political question itself, a question central to both Strauss’s work and that of the Catholic intellectual tradition. This section of the book considers the relationship of Strauss’s work to Christianity and Christian commitments at a broader level. Because Christianity does not have an explicit political doctrine, Christians have found themselves as rulers, subjects, and citizens in a variety of political regimes. Leo Strauss’s return to Platonic political philosophy can provide a useful lens through which his Catholic readers can assess what it means for there to be a best regime. Introduction 1 Part 1 Encounters with Leo Strauss and Natural Right 1 Reason, Faith, and Law: Catholic Encounters with Leo Strauss Robert P. Kraynak 19 2 "Wine with Plato and Hemlock with Socrates": Charles McCoy's Dialogue with Leo Strauss and the Character of Thomistic Political Philosophy V. Bradley Lewis 47 3 Wisdom and Folly: Reconsidering Leo Strauss on the Natural Law Geoffrey M. Vaughan 77 4 Modernity, Creation, and Catholicism: Leo Strauss and Benedict XVI Marc D. Guerra 94 5 Leo Strauss's Critique of Modern Political Philosophy and Ernest Fortin's Critique of Modern "Catholic Social Teaching" Douglas Kries 116 Part 2 Leo Strauss and Catholic Concerns 6 The Mutual Concerns of Leo Strauss and His Catholic Contemporaries: D'Entrèves, McCoy, Simon Gladden J. Pappin 137 7 On the Catholic Audience of Leo Strauss John P. Hittinger 167 8 The Possible Harmony of Reason and Revelation in Politics and Philosophy: A Catholic Reading of Leo Strauss's "Progress or Return?" Carson Holloway 190 9 What Might a Catholic Reader Learn from Strauss about Catholicism? On the Supposed Distinction of Natural Right and Natural Law Gary D. Glenn 217 10 The Influence of Historicism on Catholic Theology J. Brian Benestad 233 Part 3 Leo Strauss on Christianity, Politics, and Philosophy 11 The City and the Whole; Remarks on the Limits and the Seriousness of the Political in Strauss's Thought Giulio De Ligio 253 12 Aristotelian Metaphysics and Modern Science: Leo Strauss on What Nature Is James R. Stoner Jr. 277 13 Strauss and Pascal: Is Discussion Possible? Philippe Bénéton 290 14 Leo Strauss's Profound and Fragile Critique of Christianity Ralph C. Hancock 299 Bibliography 323 Contributors 337 Index 339