Leo Strauss and the Recovery of Medieval Political Philosophy

A thorough treatment of Leo Strauss's controversial interpretation of medieval political thought

Leo Strauss is known primarily for reviving classical political philosophy. Strauss recovered that great tradition of thought largely lost to the West by beginning his study of classical thought with its teaching on politics rather than its metaphysics. What brought Strauss to this way of reading the classics, however, was a discovery he made as a young political scientist studying the obscure texts of Islamic and Jewish medieval political thought.

In this volume, Joshua Parens examines Strauss's investigations of medieval political philosophy, offering interpretations of his writings on the great thinkers of that tradition, including interpretations of his most difficult writings on Alfarabi and Maimonides. In addition Parens explicates Strauss's statements on Christian medieval thought and his argument for rejecting the Scholastic paradigm as a method for interpreting Islamic and Jewish thought. Contrasting Scholasticism with Islamic and Jewish medieval political philosophy, Parens clarifies the theme of Strauss's thought, what Strauss calls the "theologico-political problem," and reveals the significance of medieval political philosophy in the Western tradition.

Joshua Parens is professor of philosophy and politics and dean of the Braniff Graduate School at the University of Dallas.

Author: Joshua Parens
Publisher: University of Rochester Press
Published: 02/15/2019
Pages: 210
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d
ISBN13: 9781580469586
ISBN10: 1580469582
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | History & Theory | General
- Philosophy | Political
- Philosophy | History & Surveys | Medieval