http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss"Liberalism and nihilism
Strauss taught that liberalism, strictly speaking, contained within it an intrinsic tendency towards relativism, which in turn led to two types of nihilism. The first was a “brutal” nihilism, expressed in Nazi and Marxist regimes. These ideologies, both descendents of Enlightenment thought, tried to destroy all traditions, history, ethics and moral standards and replace it by force with a supreme authority from which nature and mankind are subjugated and conquered. The second type- the ‘gentle’ nihilism expressed in Western liberal democracies- was a kind of value-free aimlessness and hedonism, which he saw permeating the fabric of contemporary American society. In the belief that 20th century relativism, scientism, historicism, and nihilism were all implicated in the deterioration of modern society and philosophy, Strauss sought to uncover the philosophical pathways that had led to this state. The resultant study lead him to revive classical political philosophy as a source by which political action could be judged.
Noble lies and deadly truths
Strauss noted that thinkers of the first rank, going back to Plato, had raised the problem of whether good and effective politicians could be completely truthful and still achieve the necessary ends of their society. By implication, Strauss asks his readers to consider whether "noble lies" have any role at all to play in uniting and guiding the polis. Are "myths" needed to give people meaning and purpose and to ensure a stable society? Or can men and women dedicated to relentlessly examining, in Nietzsche's language, those "deadly truths", flourish freely? Thus, is there a limit to the political, and what can be known absolutely? In The City and Man, Strauss discusses the myths outlined in Plato's Republic that are required for all governments. These include a belief that the state's land belongs to it even though it was likely acquired illegitimately, and that citizenship is rooted in something more than the accidents of birth.
Strauss in the Public View
Strauss is a controversial and much caricatured figure in some academic and journalistic circles. (M.F. Burnyeat, "Sphinx Without a Secret," New York Review of Books, May 30, 1985). This has been both for his criticisms of various modern movements and thinkers (including many conservatives), and because some of his students and proteges, such as Allan Bloom, Harry V. Jaffa, Joseph Cropsey, Paul Wolfowitz, and Harvey C. Mansfield, are themselves controversial public figures. Many of these people are now frequently referred to as Straussians.
Yet Shadia Drury of the University of Regina, author of 1999's Leo Strauss and the American Right, claims Strauss' thought itself is dangerous and anti-democratic. She writes that Strauss taught different things to different students, and inculcated an elitist strain in American political leaders which is linked to imperialist militarism and Christian fundementalism. Drury believes that Strauss taught some of his students to believe "perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical because they need to be led, and they need strong rulers to tell them what's good for them. .. The Weimar Republic was his model of liberal democracy for which he had huge contempt." Drury adds, "Liberalism in Weimar, in Strauss's view, led ultimately to the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews." Another well known critic of Strauss is Anne Norton, although she is primarily an antagonist of straussians rather than Strauss himself.
Paul Wolfowitz was a student of Strauss; Wolfowitz attended two courses which Strauss taught on Plato and Montesquieu's spirit of the laws. Indeed, James Mann claims that Wolfowitz chose that University because Strauss taught there and believed him to be "a unique figure, an irreplaceable asset," recommended to him by teacher Allan Bloom who taught at Cornell when Wolfowitz was an undergraduate there. Wolfowitz himself has claimed to be more of a student of Albert Wohlstetter.
In Saul Bellow's quasi-biographical novel Ravelstein, (2001) the minor character, Davarr, is based on Strauss, while the central character of Ravelstein represents Strauss' protégé Allan Bloom. In 2004 the BBC produced a controversial three-part documentary on the threat from organised terrorism called the Power of Nightmares. This documentary attempts to show how Strauss' teachings, among others, influenced the neo-conservatives and thus, United States foreign policy, especially following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The connection to Strauss is established via students such as Wolfowitz."
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