robert howse

I was first introduced to Leo Strauss in a discussion in the Renaissance Center of Claremont. He was the author of a short "guide" entitled "Persecution and the Style of Writing". It is a guide to Maimonides' "Guide to the Perplexed" which is a guide to the Tenach/Torah. In this guide, Strauss nested the theory that all writing before Gutenberg is "secret" and coded, and most writing after, is "popular" and un-masked.

At Claremont I took political science courses, most of which were "Conservative" -- Professor Jaffa, Diamond, Grant, etc. Somehow this "school of interpretation" morphed into neo-Conservatism and a complete misinterpretation of Strauss' ideas by the Reagan/Bush cadre. This was clearly visible to us who actually read Strauss.

Sketches drawn from the Howse work:

Strauss is NOT a right-wing apologist for ANY type of authoritarian or "anti-liberal" hatemongering. He actually fought for the Liberal positions, and was devoted to illuminating the relations between politics and the Judaic religions. Strauss explicitly addresses social responsibility--by citizens, governments, institutions, and by intellectuals.

Strauss was critical of Nietzsche, particularly for his attempted, and unsuccessful and puerile, annihilation of Liberality. Strauss said Nietzsche would be repulsed far more by cowardly Nazi thieves than by fearless liberal builders.

Strauss was personally familiar with the Weimar experience -- the most educated people in the world, with the most liberal democratic institutions (freedom of worship, assembly, press, voting rights, representative government, public education) -- taken over by lying thugs who stole money and property from defenseless people.

Strauss reflects on the danger of ideas used irresponsibly. ("Think responsibly!") Howse suggests that Strauss failed to prevent the misuse of his ideas. (!)?

How did we get to Jaffa educating Goldwater and Nixon's subsequent usurpation of the "Conservative" label? Jaffa's trembling fear of Hoffstader Leftism? Strauss says very very little about American politics or "religion" -- the American revisionism and ignorance of actual Scripture. (Most American Conservatives -- maybe ALL -- are utterly clueless and ignorant of Scripture).

Strauss likes American Courts. (That reveals he is clueless about actual selection and deliberative processes of judges). Expresses surprise over how quickly and thoroughly the Nazis destroyed Rule of Law. (Hello!)

Strauss agreed with Montesquieu (?!) about Liberty -- the balance between security and freedom. Strauss questioned the dogma of "Progress", but also said it is an equal error to assume change is bad. "I am with the liberals on the subject of justice, and with the conservatives in doubts about techniques and attempts to scientifically engineer behavioral change."… (altro)