How critical is Strauss’s critique to modernity? The alternative of Heinrich Meier
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2357797589748Keywords:
Heinrich Meier, Leo Strauss, Modern political philosophyAbstract
The diagnosis and interpretation of modern political philosophy that Strauss undertook have been generally read as a profound critique to the dogmatism with which Modernity founded its political science by obscuring the philosophical life and the treatment of human affairs. Strauss’s readers are now confronted with some shrewd interpretations that call into question whether this was Strauss’s true intention in his reading of modern philosophers. Specially Heinrich Meier has attended in detail the Straussian oeuvre in such a manner that, under a careful analysis, authors such as Machiavelli, Hobbes or Rousseau are from Strauss’s perspective authentic philosophers, and consequently the project of Modernity would reveal itself as a political resolution that safeguards the philosophical life before the challenge of revealed religion. In this paper I will briefly address the most decisive points of Meier’s general interpretation and question some of its premises. It is argued, in short, that should Meier’s interpretation be correct, the approach to Strauss is to be taken with even further moral caution than his readers are accustomed to.
Downloads
References
BRANN, E. (2025). Jacob Klein’s Two Prescient Discoveries. En Daniel, M., & Andrew, R. (Eds.). To Turn the Soul. Essays Inspired by Jacob Klein. Paul Dry Books.
BURNS, T. (2021). Leo Strauss: On Democracy, Technology, and Liberal Education. State University of New York Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438486154
KUHN, H. (2022). Naturrecht und Historismus. En Leo Strauss, Gesammelte Schriften: Naturrecht und Geschichte (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 4). Felix Meiner.
MACHIAVELLI, N. (1971). Tutte le opere (M. Martelli, Ed.). Sansoni.
MEIER, H. (2022a). Vorwort des Herausgebers. En Leo Strauss, Gesammelte Schriften: Naturrecht und Geschichte (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 4). Felix Meiner.
MEIER, H. (2022b). Philosophie und Geschichte. En Leo Strauss, Gesammelte Schriften: Naturrecht und Geschichte (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 4). Felix Meiner.
MEIER, H. (2022c). Vorwort des Herausgebers. En Leo Strauss, Gesammelte Schriften: Hobbes’ Politische Wissenschaft und zugehörige Schriften – Briefe (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 3). Felix Meiner.
MEIER, H. (2013). Politische Philosophie und die Herausforderung der Offenbarungsreligion. C.H.Beck. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406654756
MEIER, H. (2006). Leo Strauss and the Theologico-Political Problem (M. Brainard, Trad.). Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139177948
MEIER, H. (2005, mayo 24). Why Leo Strauss? Four Answers and One Consideration concerning the Uses and Disadvantages of the School for the Philosophical Life. Leo Strauss: The Man, His Thought, and Contemporary Global Politics, Roma. El texto de esta conferencia me ha sido facilitado por el autor.
MEIER, H. (2003). Das Theologisch-politische Problem. Zum Thema von Leo Strauss. Metzler. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-02934-8
MEIER, H. (2002). Der Philosoph der Stunde. Focus, 27.
MINKOV, S. (2016). Leo Strauss on Science. State University of New York Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438463131
PIPPIN, R. (1992). The Modern World of Leo Strauss. Political Theory, 20(3), 448–472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591792020003004
ROLLANDI, I. (2023). Maquiavelo el filósofo: La interpretación de Leo Strauss [Tesis doctoral]. Universidad de Buenos Aires.
STRAUSS, L. (2022a). Gesammelte Schriften: Hobbes’ Politische Wissenschaft und zugehörige Schriften – Briefe (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 3). Felix Meiner. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-03542-4_1
STRAUSS, L. (2022b). Gesammelte Schriften: Naturrecht und Geschichte (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 4). Felix Meiner.
STRAUSS, L. (2013). Gesammelte Schriften: Philosophie und Gesetz, Frühe Schriften (H. Meier, Ed.; Vol. 2). Metzler. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-00728-5_1
STRAUSS, L. (2000). On Tyranny (V. Gourevitch & M. Roth, Eds.). The University of Chicago Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1997). Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity (K. Hart, Ed.). State University of New York Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1989). An Introduction to Political Philosophy (H. Gildin, Ed.). Wayne State University Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1982). Spinoza’s Critique of Religion (E. M. Sinclair, Trad.). Schocken Books.
STRAUSS, L. (1965). Natural Right and History. The University of Chicago Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226226453.001.0001
STRAUSS, L. (1964). The City and Man. The University of Chicago Press [(2006). La ciudad y el hombre (L. Livchitz, Trad.). Katz]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvm7bctr
STRAUSS, L. (1963). The Political Philosophy of Hobbes (E. M. Sinclair, Trad.). The University of Chicago Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1962). Rousseau (1962). Curso de 1962 (J. Marks, Ed.). Disponible en leostrausscenter.uchicago.edu
STRAUSS, L. (1959). What is Political Philosophy. The University of Chicago Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1958). Thoughts on Machiavelli. The Free Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1952). Persecution and the Art of Writing. The University of Chicago Press.
STRAUSS, L. (1947). On the Intention of Rousseau. Social Research, 14(1/4), 455–487.
STRAUSS, L. (1946). On a New Interpretation of Plato’s Political Philosophy. Social Research, 13(3), 326–367.
TARCOV, N. (1991). On a Certain Critique of “Straussianism”. The Review of Politics, 53(1), 3–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500050178
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
