Leo Strauss's defense of the philosophic life : reading "What is political philosophy?"

Leo Strauss's What Is Political Philosophy? Addresses Almost Every Major Theme In His Life's Work And Is Often Viewed As A Defense Of His Overall Philosophic Approach. Yet Precisely Because The Book Is So Foundational, If We Want To Understand Strauss's Notoriously Careful And Complex Thinking In These Essays, We Must Also Consider Them Just As Strauss Treated Philosophers Of The Past: On Their Own Terms. Each Of The Contributors In This Collection Focuses On A Single Chapter From What Is Political Philosophy? In An Effort To Shed Light On Both Strauss's Thoughts About The History Of Philosophy And The Major Issues About Which He Wrote. Included Are Treatments Of Strauss's Esoteric Method Of Reading, His Critique Of Behavioral Political Science, And His Views On Classical Political Philosophy. Key Thinkers Whose Work Strauss Responded To Are Also Analyzed In Depth: Plato, Al-farabi, Maimonides, Hobbes, And Locke, As Well As Twentieth-century Figures Such As Eric Voegelin, Alexandre Kojève, And Kurt Riezler. Written By Scholars Well-known For Their Insight And Expertise On Strauss's Thought, The Essays In This Volume Apply To Strauss The Same Meticulous Approach He Developed In Reading Others. The First Book-length Treatment On A Single Book By Strauss, Leo Strauss's Defense Of The Philosophic Life Will Serve As An Invaluable Companion To Those Seeking A Helpful Introduction Or Delving Deeper Into The Major Themes And Ideas Of This Controversial Thinker.--publisher's Website. Introduction: Thinking Through Strauss's Legacy / Rafael Major -- Reading What Is Political Philosophy? / Nasser Behnegar -- Political Philosophy And History / Catherine Zuckert -- Leo Strauss's On Classical Political Philosophy / Nathan Tarcov -- Philosophic Politics And Theology: Strauss's Restatement / Christopher Nadon -- How Strauss Read Farabi's Summary Of Plato's Laws / Daniel Tanguay -- Strauss On Maimonides's Secretive Political Science / Joshua Parens -- Leo Strauss's On The Basis Of Hobbes's Political Philosophy / Devin Stauffer -- Strauss On Locke And The Law Of Nature / Michael Zuckert -- Fishing For Philosophers: Strauss's Restatement On The Art Of Writing / David Janssens -- Kurt Riezler: 1882-1955 And The Problem Of Political Philosophy / Susan Meld Shell. Edited By Rafael Major. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Leo Strauss’s __What Is Political Philosophy?__ addresses almost every major theme in his life’s work and is often viewed as a defense of his overall philosophic approach. Yet precisely because the book is so foundational, if we want to understand Strauss’s notoriously careful and complex thinking in these essays, we must also consider them just as Strauss treated philosophers of the past: on their own terms.Each of the contributors in this collection focuses on a single chapter from __What Is Political Philosophy?__ in an effort to shed light on both Strauss’s thoughts about the history of philosophy and the major issues about which he wrote. Included are treatments of Strauss’s esoteric method of reading, his critique of behavioral political science, and his views on classical political philosophy. Key thinkers whose work Strauss responded to are also analyzed in depth: Plato, Al-Farabi, Maimonides, Hobbes, and Locke, as well as twentieth-century figures such as Eric Voegelin, Alexandre Kojève, and Kurt Riezler. Written by scholars well-known for their insight and expertise on Strauss’s thought, the essays in this volume apply to Strauss the same meticulous approach he developed in reading others.The first book-length treatment on a single book by Strauss, __Leo Strauss’s Defense of the Philosophic Life__ will serve as an invaluable companion to those seeking a helpful introduction or delving deeper into the major themes and ideas of this controversial thinker. Contents 6 Introduction: Thinking Through Strauss’s Legacy - Rafael Major 8 Chapter 1. Reading “What Is Political Philosophy?” - Nasser Behnegar 29 Chapter 2. “Political Philosophy and History” - Catherine Zuckert 50 Chapter 3. Leo Strauss’s “On Classical Political Philosophy” - Nathan Tarcov 72 Chapter 4. Philosophic Politics and Theology: Strauss’s “Restatement” - Christopher Nadon 87 Chapter 5. How Strauss Read Farabi’s Summary of Plato’s “Laws” - Daniel Tanguay 105 Chapter 6. Strauss on Maimonides’s Secretive Political Science - Joshua Parens 123 Chapter 7. Leo Strauss’s “On the Basis of Hobbes’s Political Philosophy” - Devin Stauffer 144 Chapter 8. Strauss on Locke and the Law of Nature - Michael Zuckert 160 Chapter 9. Fishing for Philosophers: Strauss’s “Restatement” on the Art of Writing - David Janssens 180 Chapter 10. “Kurt Riezler: 1882–1955” and the “Problem” of Political Philosophy - Susan Meld Shell 198 List of Contributors 222 Index 226 Leo Strauss' "What Is Political Philosophy?" addresses almost every major theme in his life's work and is often viewed as a defense of his overall philosophic approach. Written by scholars well-known for their expertise on Strauss' thought, this book includes essays that apply to Strauss the same meticulous approach he developed in reading others.