Leo Strauss and the “Analogy of the Wise Man”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2357797589732Keywords:
Leo Strauss, Natural theology, Plato, Political philosophy, RevelationAbstract
Within scholarship on Leo Strauss and the the-ological-political problem,a significant inter-pretative approach suggests that the fundamental alternative between the ways of life symbolized by Athens and Jerusalem might be solved through argumentation. However, scholars differ regarding the type of argument capable of addressing this issue effectively. Among the proposed solutions, the “analogy of the wise man,” presented within a framework of hypothetical natural theology, is particularly notable. This analogy, which envisions the wise man as a model for understanding God as the most perfect being, appears in Strauss’s works, including Reason and Revelation (1948/2006), Jerusalem and Athens (1950/2022), and The Mutual Influence of Theology and Philosophy (1954/1979). Furthermore, newly published material in Leo Strauss on Plato’s Euthyphro (2023) provides fresh perspectives on this analogy. This article seeks to evaluate the significance, argumentative strength, and the dual implication of the analogy of the wise man.
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