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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Win Smith who wrote (121980)	12/23/2003 1:47:39 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

The abuse of Strauss's concept of esoteric writing permits people like you to attribute just about any nonsense to Strauss, because, after all, his true doctrine is imagined to be hidden. The truth is, of course, that there is little agreement, even in Straussian circles, about how much "reservation" there might have been in Strauss's writings. I have known several Straussians (I mean people who studied with Strauss), and my wife had an extra- curricular seminar with him when he was scholar in residence at St. John's, and it appears to me that he applied the idea of esoteric writing primarily to situations of actual persecution, and that the supposed esoteric readings that he floated of classic authors were of a piece with his aboveboard commentary........ You do not even understand the meaning of the Noble Lie as it is used in the Republic. It has to do with the promulgation of a myth of origins to encourage social solidarity within the Republic. In other words, it is not a discussion of lying for "raison d'etre", which is a separate discussion, but of whether religious myth has utility that should be encouraged even if one does not believe in the myths. As for lying for reasons of state, neocons have pretty much the same moral calculations as most people on that score: sometimes it is justified, for example, deceiving the enemy in time of war, and sometimes not, as when engaged in democratic policy discussion. Finally, there is the Straussian belief that some philosophers hid some of their beliefs in order to avoid persecution, and pretended to a degree of conformity to popular opinion beyond fact. Yes, Strauss endorses this, but under conditions were persecution is a real fear. As for Machiavelli, Strauss thought that he was mostly a corrupting influence........ Strauss had a deep impact on a number of people, although there is controversy about his legacy. Strauss was attracted to the idea that the true republic provides a haven for the philosopher to pursue his studies, and that the philosopher, in turn, could help rule, if not directly, than by teaching (as Aristotle did Alexander) and with his advice. He also helped to revive the idea of Natural Law, by means of which human law and policy could be critiqued......... Message 19476435 Message 19474168 Message 18983825