A paradoxical philosophy: Machiavelli’s art of writing according to Leo Strauss

Abstract

This article explores Leo Strauss's interpretation of Machiavelli's art of writing and its place in the history of political philosophy. Strauss argues that Machiavelli, the first modern political philosopher, employs the art of esoteric writing he inherited from the classical tradition. However, the outcome does not seem to be the preservation of the traditional teachings, but rather the beginning of a revolution in the philosophers' teaching on politics and philosophy. Three paradoxes emerge from Strauss's interpretation of Machiavelli: 1) that Machiavelli's originality is revealed through his return to the tradition; 2) that his novel teaching was already known by the classics; 3) that the immoderation of his discourse conceals a philosophical politics of moderation. These paradoxes frame the fundamental tension in Strauss's interpretation: whether Machiavelli deserves to be called a philosopher. In this article, we will explore these paradoxes, arguing that, for Strauss, Machiavelli employs the art of writing with the same purpose as the classics, namely, to mediate the tension between the city and philosophy. However, Machiavelli introduces a particular rhetorical device: he offers the city a "salutary philosophy" oriented toward civic well-being. In this study, we will assert that, for Strauss, Machiavelli's rhetorical innovation, introduces a change in the status and purpose of philosophy for the city and its citizens, but does not alter Machiavelli's understanding of philosophy and its unbridgeable distance from politics. Thus, we propose the hypothesis of thinking Machiavelli’s philosophy as paradoxical: his thought and life remain philosophical but his teaching conceals the figure of the philosopher, philosophy as the pursuit of truth, and the philosophical life.