Leo Strauss
German-American philosopher whose esoteric reading of classical texts argued that great philosophers wrote one message for the few and another for the many. Natural Right and History attacked historicism and relativism. His students became the intellectual godfathers of American neoconservatism.
Works
- Natural Right and HistoryStrauss' work tracing the decline of natural right and rise of relativism in modern political philosophy
- Persecution and the Art of WritingStrauss' essays on reading esoteric texts, arguing philosophers wrote for different levels of intelligent readers
- The City and ManPhilosophical exploration of classical texts and their political implications for modern governance
- Thoughts on MachiavelliInterpretive study of Renaissance political theory and the prince's pragmatic ethics
- What Is Political Philosophy?Inquiry into the nature and scope of political philosophy and its foundations