The Jewish political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899-1973) is famous for having said that the “roots” of Western civilization are the Hebrew Bible and Greek philosophy – each providing an estimable portrait of the human soul at its best – and for declaring that, in the contest between the two for being the supreme guide for man, neither could defeat the other.
This led to certain conundra, one of which is, if philosophy cannot defeat faith, then is it not based on a petitio principii contrary to its own criterion of evident rationality? The leading German Strauss scholar and devoté, Heinrich Meier, attempted to cut the knot by declaring that Strauss believed that he had refuted the claims of Revelation in a 1948 essay. Having read the essay with some care, I did not find that claim borne out. Nor have .
Read Full Article »