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What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies

This volume brings together a series of studies that investigate the core questions and methods of political philosophy. The essays consider how political philosophy differs from political science, ideology, and historical inquiry, and they examine the works of key thinkers to illustrate the enduring problems and tensions within the field. The collection addresses topics such as the nature of justice, the role of the philosopher in society, and the challenges of applying philosophical principles to political life, offering a reflective analysis of the discipline's purpose and limits. more

Author

Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss

Leo Strauss was a prominent philosopher born on September 20, 1899, and died on October 18, 1973. His thoughts were deeply influenced by classical philosophy and German philosophy, especially by Martin Heidegger's philosophical ideas. Strauss's main contribution lies in his reinterpretation of political philosophy, emphasizing the close connection between political philosophy and moral philosophy. more

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“When speaking of a "body of knowledge" or of "the results of research," e.g., we tacitly assign the same cognitive status to inherited knowledge and to independently acquired knowledge. To counteract this tendency a special effort is required to transform inherited knowledge into genuine knowledge by revitalizing its original discovery, and to discriminate between the genuine and the spurious elements of what claims to be inherited knowledge.”

BodyResultsEffortSpecialElementsResearchDiscoveryClaimsOriginalsGenuineTendenciesCognitive
Book:What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies
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“We somehow believe that our point of view is superior, higher than those of the greatest minds either because our point of view is that of our time, and our time, being later than the time of the greatest minds, can be presumed to be superior to their times; or else because we believe that each the greatest minds was right from his point of view, but not, as he claims, simply right.”

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“Men are constantly attracted and deluded by two opposite charms: the charm of competence which is engendered by mathematics and everything akin to mathematics, and the charm of humble awe, which is engendered by meditation on the human soul and its experiences. Philosophy is characterized by the gentle, if firm, refusal to succumb to either charm.”

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Book:An Introduction to Political Philosophy: Ten Essays
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“According to our social science, we can be or become wise in all matters of secondary importance, but we have to be resigned to utter ignorance in the most important respect: we cannot have any knowledge regarding the ultimate principles of our choices, i.e. regarding their soundness or unsoundness... We are then in the position of beings who are sane and sober when engaged in trivial business and who gamble like madmen when confronted with serious issues.”

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Author:Leo Strauss
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“Men must always have distinguished (e.g. in judicial matters) between hearsay and seeing with one's own eyes and have preferred what one has seen to what he has merely heard from others. But the use of this distinction was originally limited to particular or subordinate matters. As regards the most weighty matters the first things and the right way the only source of knowledge was hearsay.”

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Book:Natural Right and History
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