HARPERS thought Peter Minowitz had some more explaining to do in his defense of Strauss and Straussians. And I think his answers will be helpful to non- and anti-Straussians. We learn, for example, that Strauss became less Nietzschean and less militaristic over time, but not less pro-American or toughly anticommunist. The mature Strauss took a strong stand against both overemphasizing military virtue and thinking it can somehow become dispensable. Peter also quotes historian Gordon Wood’s complaint about the Straussians turning our Founding into a fetish without really contradicting him. But as our friend Bob Cheeks reminds us, Founderism is a noble and pious inclination that almost all American conservatives share in common. (Peter sent me this link in an admirable act of shameless self-promotion, and the only noble lie he’ll admit to is that the handsome picture of him isn’t so recent.)
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Moral Certitude and the Iran War
The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…
The Slow Death of England: New and Notable Books
The fate of England is much in the news as popular resistance to mass immigration grows, limits…
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
