The truth about Leo Strauss : political philosophy and American democracy

317 Pages·2006·1.164 MB·English

by  Strauss, Leo, Zuckert, Michael P., Strauss, Leo, Zuckert, Catherine H

The Truth about Leo Strauss

The Truth about
Leo Strauss
Political
Philosophy
and
American
Democracy
catherine and michael zuckert
the university of chicago press (cid:2) chicago and london
MichaelZuckertisNancyReevesDreuxIIIProfessorofPoliticalScienceatUniversityofNotre
Dame.HeistheauthorofNaturalRightsandtheNewRepublicanism(1994),TheNaturalRights
Republic(1996),andLaunchingLiberalism(2002).Hehasalsocoauthoredandcoedited
(withThomasEngeman)ProtestantismandtheAmericanFounding.Heiscurrentlywritinga
bookontheFourteenthAmendmenttitledCompletingtheConstitution.
CatherineH.ZuckertisNancyReevesDreuxIIProfessorofPoliticalScienceandeditor-in-chief
oftheReviewofPoliticsattheUniversityofNotreDame.HerpublicationsincludeNaturalRight
andtheAmericanImagination:PoliticalPhilosophyinNovelFormandPostmodernPlatos:
Nietzsche,Heidegger,Gadamer,Strauss,Derrida.
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Ltd.,London
(cid:2)C 2006byTheUniversityofChicago
Allrightsreserved.Published2006
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
1514131211100908070612345
ISBN-10:0-226-99332-9(cloth)
ISBN-13:978-0-226-99332-4(cloth)
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Zuckert,CatherineH.,1942–
ThetruthaboutLeoStrauss:politicalphilosophyandAmericandemocracy/
CatherineandMichaelZuckert.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-226-99332-9(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Strauss,Leo. 2.Politicalscience—UnitedStates—Philosophy. 3.Politicalscience—United
States—History. I.Zuckert,MichaelP.,1942–. II.Title.
JC251.S8Z832006
320.092—dc22 2006002541
(cid:2)∞Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
theAmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences—Permanenceof
PaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1992.
to our other teachers
WalterBerns
AllanBloom
JosephCropsey
HerbertStoring

Contents
Preface ix
introduction 1
Mr. Strauss Goes to Washington?
PART I: STRAUSS
chapter one 27
The Return to the Ancients: An Overview
of the Straussian Project
strauss’s philosophical project 30, strauss’s departure
from heidegger and nietzsche 32, strauss’s analysis of
the contemporary crisis 35, strauss’s way back to ancient
political philosophy 36, strauss’s rereading of the history of
philosophy 46, political philosophy and politics 49
chapter two 58
Strauss Modernity America
proposition 1: america is modern 58, proposition 2: modernity
is bad 64, proposition 3: america is good 74, straussian
ambiguities 79
chapter three 80
Leo Strauss as a Postmodern Political Thinker
the problem of the postmodern 81, strauss’s postmodernism:
after nietzsche 83, strauss’s postmodernism: after
heidegger 91, derridean postmodernism 102, contrasting the
two forms of postmodernism 111
chapter four 115
The Man Who Gave Away the Secrets: On Esotericism
how shadia drury read leo strauss 116, on esotericism
and noble lies 120, looking for secrets in all
the wrong places 136
chapter five 155
Leo Strauss Teacher of Evil?
strauss and the “tyrannical teaching” 158, the
thrasymachean thesis 166, the machiavellian moment 177,
strauss and schmitt 184
PART II: STRAUSSIANS
chapter six 197
The Emergence of the Straussian Study of America
water berns: the virtuous republic 202, martin diamond:
finding the founding 209, harry jaffa: aristotelianizing
america 217
chapter seven 228
Straussian Geography
east coast 231, west coast 239, midwest 252
Conclusion 261
Notes 269
Index 301
Preface
Thisissomethingofanaccidentalbook.Afortuitousconjunctionofevents
ledustoaprojectwehadneverplanned.First,wewereinvitedtodeliver
aseriesoflecturesonLeoStraussinJapan,thelecturestobepresentedin
Decemberof2003.Weapproachedtheselectureswithagooddealofun-
certainty,notknowingwhattheJapaneseknew,orwantedtoknow,about
Strauss.(Asitturnedout,theyknewagooddealandwantedtolearnany-
thingmorethatwecouldadd.)Wepreparedlecturesthatwehopedcould
speak in an introductory way to those who might know little of Strauss
andstillsaysomethingeithernewordifferentlytothosewhomightknow
Strausswell.
Then,aswewerethinkingaboutourtriptoJapan,wewerebesiegedon
allsideswithreportsaboutLeoStraussinthemedia.Whenwestudiedwith
him,hewasknownwellinasmallcirclebutlargelyunknownoutsidethat
circle.Allofasuddenhewasbeingpronouncedthethinkerbehindever-
largersetsofpoliticalactorsandpolicies,butmostespeciallyhewasbeing
identifiedas“thebrains”behindGeorgeW.BushandtheIraqWar.Hav-
ingourselvessometimesbeenfrustratedbyhowremoteStrauss’sthinking
usuallywasfrompracticalpoliticsandpolicy,weweregenerallyastonished
toseethathehadbecome—orwassaidtohavebecome—arealmoverand
shakerinWashington.WhatwassaidaboutStraussinthemediacoverage
madehimsoundlikeaverypowerfulpersonage,butthatimageofStrauss
wasfarfromthewayhepresentedhimself—asaratherdetachedfellow,by
nomeansuninterestedinpolitics,butnotaimingtorunthecountryfrom
thebackroom.
WethoughtwehadbettersaysomethingtotheJapaneseabouttheseru-
morsandallegationsregardingStraussandIraq,StraussandBush,Strauss
and the neoconservatives. Most—perhaps all—of what was said about
Straussseemedtouswrongandmisguided,theproductofnothavingread