What Is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies

Strauss defines political philosophy as the attempt to replace opinion about the nature of political things with knowledge of their nature [citation:1][citation:17]. Political things are by nature subject to approval and disapproval; they raise a claim to men's obedience and judgment, so one does not understand them as political things unless one measures them by some standard of goodness or justice [citation:1]. Philosophy itself is the quest for universal knowledge, preceded by opinions about the whole; the philosopher is distinguished by knowing that he knows nothing, and by striving for knowledge rather than possessing it [citation:1].

A common misconception treats 'political philosophy' as interchangeable with 'political thought.' Strauss insists they are radically different. Political thought is any reflection on or exposition of political ideas; it is indifferent to the distinction between opinion and knowledge, and may be no more than the defense of a firmly held conviction or an invigorating myth [citation:17]. Political philosophy, by contrast, is the conscious, coherent, and relentless effort to replace opinions about political fundamentals with knowledge regarding them. A political thinker is attached to a specific order or policy; the political philosopher is attached to the truth [citation:17].

What Is Political Philosophy? was published in 1959, six years after Natural Right and History (1953), and both are products of Strauss's mature period at the University of Chicago [citation:7]. The earlier book diagnosed the crisis of modern political thought and called for a return to classical natural right; the later collection extends that project through close readings of Farabi, Maimonides, Hobbes, and Locke. The title essay provides the philosophical definition that the historical essays in Natural Right and History presuppose, while the companion studies demonstrate the interpretive method Strauss advocated.

The essay 'On a Forgotten Kind of Writing' presents Strauss's theory of esoteric writing, the idea that philosophers in eras of persecution concealed heterodox ideas within texts whose surface meaning conformed to orthodox opinion [citation:5][citation:10]. Other essays in the collection illustrate this method through studies of Maimonides and Farabi, showing how medieval Islamic and Jewish philosophers adapted their teaching to the demands of their political and religious circumstances. The theory connects to Strauss's broader argument that the tension between philosophy and the city is permanent and requires careful management.

The initial critical reaction was notably sober and scholarly, as a retrospective symposium on the fiftieth anniversary observed [citation:3][citation:18]. Reviews appeared in the American Political Science Review, Political Science Quarterly, Review of Politics, and other major journals [citation:3]. In the 1950s, Strauss was publicly respected by behavioral political scientists and even contributed to David Easton's The Political System; among political theorists his reputation was even higher, with reviewers calling him 'one of the few dominant figures' in the field [citation:3].

For Strauss, the highest subject of political philosophy is the philosophic life itself, and philosophy means ascending from the cave to the light of the sun—the truth [citation:2]. This elevation of contemplation over practical life is central to his reading of the classics. He criticizes Machiavelli not for creating power politics but for lowering the classical standard of the philosophic life, making wisdom into craftiness [citation:2]. The essays in this collection consistently measure modern political philosophy against the classical understanding that the contemplative life is superior to the life of action.