In much theory there is a tendency to place thought above action, or the opposite, action over thought. The consequence of the first option is that philosophy or scientific evidence gains the upper hand in educational thinking. The consequence of the second view is that pragmatism and relativism become the dominant features. This article discusses…

This paper examines the neoconservative critique of the university and particularly the attack on multiculturalism and postmodernism that initiated the culture wars. It seeks to explain these developments by an analysis of the thought of Leo Strauss. The paper begins by providing an introduction to US neoconservatism and latest challenges to it…

This paper is concerned with the work of Leo Strauss, specifically his two essays on liberal education. Strauss is often claimed to be a founding thinker of neoconservatism and while much scholarship has been produced analyzing his work, very little discusses his essays on liberal education and how these fit within his larger project. This essay…

Leo Strauss is commonly cited as a seminal influence for the neoconservatism that, in the minds of many commentators, dominates the administration of George W. Bush. What intersection, if any, exists between Strauss's views and neoconservatism? This paper investigates that question by studying Strauss's writings on liberal education and assessing…

This paper locates the work of Leo Strauss within the broader conservative assault on modernity and especially its roots in liberalism. Four themes from Strauss's work are identified, then hermeneutically engaged for their relevance to educational practice in global times. The four themes are: (1) the liberal/modern concept of an open society is…

This essay examines Leo Strauss's pedagogical method in his teaching on rights. The goal in this essay is not to present Strauss's argument for or against any particular conception of rights. In fact, it is to dissuade readers of Strauss from seeking such conclusions within Strauss's texts, and to argue that readers' attention turn toward the…

Author recalled his experiences as a student of Leo Strauss, a teacher of great controversy at the University of Chicago. (RK)

Leo Strauss' views concerning the way to teach political philosophy are discussed. The essay begins with a summary of Strauss' general conception of classical political philosophy. The remainder of the essay discusses the content of Strauss' book "What is Political Philosophy?" (RM)

Given the vacuity of political metaphors in the USA, most Americans might assume neoliberalism and neoconservatism to be at odds with one another. This article argues to the contrary. Neoconservatism has provided a solution to a crisis in neoliberalism--the crisis of how to manufacture the public's support for an agenda that was so decidedly…

Leo Strauss' views of the function of political philosophy as expressed in his book "Natural Right and History" are discussed. It is the function of political philosophy to distinguish good action from bad and promote the one and avert the other. (RM)

John Henry Newman, Leo Strauss, and Michael Oakeshott do not share an identical "idea of the university." Strauss and Oakeshott do not, for instance, ascribe to religion the elevated role that Newman had judged crucial for it in education. But, as Timothy Fuller shows in this essay, all three resisted the portents of what afflicts academe today.…

Civic education in schools is necessary in a democratic society, so as to produce citizens who are able to participate in the system of self-government. Thomas Jefferson, Horace Mann, and John Dewey each emphasized the value of good citizenship and promoted the role of public education in teaching citizens the knowledge and skills necessary for…

The debate among scholars on the historical and contemporary significance of the Founding period of the United States still continues and important questions still need to be addressed. The extent to which current judicial decisions should be governed by the intentions of the Framers, and whether contemporary historical approaches tend to…

Reviews STUDIES IN PLATONIC POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (Strauss, 1984). Describes Platonic political philosophizing and argues that it is indispensable for the teaching of political science. (JDH)

In this essay, Strauss contends that liberal education is education in culture or toward culture, and that within the mass society of a democracy, liberal education is the mechanism of founding an aristocracy--of ascending to democracy as originally meant. He explains that liberal education consists of listening to conversations among the greatest…