Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
2-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Political Science
Advisor
Corey Robin
Committee Members
Carol Gould
Alyson Cole
Subject Categories
Political Theory
Keywords
Leo Strauss, political philosophy, gentlemen, theological-political, Nietzsche
Abstract
This dissertation argues that to fully understand the work of Leo Strauss, scholars must look beyond the Platonic and Machiavellian elements in Strauss and explore how Nietzsche’s ideas about nihilism, the will to power, the eternal return, and the ubermensch influence Strauss’s critique of modernity, his understanding of the relationship between philosophy and politics, and his redefinition of the philosopher as a prophetic lawgiver. This study examines the Nietzschean origins of Strauss’s hierarchical theory of freedom, which vests reimagined philosophers with the authority to create truth and meaning. I argue that Strauss’s concept of philosophy and corresponding pedagogy cultivates new intellectual elites who aim at the transformation of democratic regimes based on Strauss’s vision of permanent cyclical movement propelled by an aristocratic ideal of excellence and the possibility of an emergent monarch. Strauss’s defense of noble imperialism and his critique of modern universalism are rooted in an apocalyptic theory in which the destruction of existing orders clears the way for the emergence of future founders.
Recommended Citation
Karetny, Eli, "Ungodly Freedom: How Philosophers Rise and Empires Fall in the Work of Leo Strauss" (2019). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2819