What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies"All political action has . . . in itself a directedness towards knowledge of the good: of the good life, or of the good society. For the good society is the complete political good. If this directedness becomes explicit, if men make it their explicit goal to acquire knowledge of the good life and of the good society, political philosophy emerges. . . . The theme of political philosophy is mankind's great objectives, freedom and government or empire—objectives which are capable of lifting all men beyond their poor selves. Political philosophy is that branch of philosophy which is closest to political life, to non-philosophic life, to human life."—From "What Is Political Philosophy?" What Is Political Philosophy?—a collection of ten essays and lectures and sixteen book reviews written between 1943 and 1957—contains some of Leo Strauss's most famous writings and some of his most explicit statements of the themes that made him famous. The title essay records Strauss's sole extended articulation of the meaning of political philosophy itself. Other essays discuss the relation of political philosophy to history, give an account of the political philosophy of the non-Christian Middle Ages and of classic European modernity, and present his theory of esoteric writing. |
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according answer Aristotle asserts beingness believe Carneades century chapter character citizen civil classical political philosophy classical republicans concerned Cyropaedia democracy Descartes desire difference discussion distinction distinguished divine doctrine essays essentially eternal Ethics existence expression fact Fārābi fundamental Hegel hence Hiero historical historicism Hobbes Hobbes's human ideas interpretation kind knowledge Kojčve Leviathan Locke Locke's Machiavelli Maimonides man's means merely modern moral myth nations natural law necessarily Nicomachean Ethics nomoi ontology ophy opinion original Parmenides passions philos Philosophy of Plato Plato Polin political order political science political teaching political things possible presupposes principles problem quest question reason regard rejected religion Republic Riezler rule ruler sense Simonides situation social science society Socrates soul speaks speech Spinoza Summa theologica Summary thought Thucydides tion tradition true truth tyranny tyrant understanding understood universal and homogeneous virtue whereas whole wisdom Xenophon