Brill's Companion to Leo Strauss' Writings on Classical Political Thought

Timothy W. Burns, PhD (1994), University of Toronto, is Professor of Political Science at Baylor University. He has co-authored Introduction To Political Philosophy, authored Shakespeare’s Political Wisdom, and published many articles and book chapters on thinkers from Homer to Nietzsche.

"[T]his volume displays Strauss’s provocative originality, his skill in close reading and his nuanced understanding of dramatic context. (...) [A] welcome handbook to an important and frequently misunderstood thinker." - John Bloxham, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2016.11.37"The recently published Brill’s Companion to Leo Strauss’ Writings on Classical Political Thought is both a very useful and an engaging book. It can provide a fruitful introduction to new readers of Leo Strauss, but it also addresses difficult and substantial problems that arise in Strauss’s interpretations. Hence this volume surely is an indispensable reading for every conscientious student of the thought of Strauss (...) The authors of this important book have offered to every reader of Strauss, and perhaps more importantly to students of Lucretius, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, and Aristotle, a precious gift." - Antoine P. St-Hilaire, in: Interpretation, Volume 43, Issue 3 (Spring 2017)"This book provides a much needed guide to virtually all of Leo Strauss’s writings on Classical political thought. (...) The chapters are of a very high quality. It is particularly helpful to have a synoptic view of Strauss’s oeuvre on the Classics, which would otherwise require a long immersion in his difficult work." - Rodrigo Chacon, in: The Classical Review (Published online 7 September 2017)

• ContentsAcknowledgementAbout the ContributorsEditor’s IntroductionLeo Strauss’ Recovery of Classical Political PhilosophyTimothy W. BurnsPart 1Pre-Socratic Thought1 On “The Origin of the Idea of Natural Right” in Natural Right and HistoryGregory A. McBrayer2 Reading Thucydides with Leo StraussClifford Orwin3 On Leo Strauss’ “Notes on Lucretius”James H. Nichols, Jr.Part 2Classical Political Philosophy4 Leo Strauss’ “The Liberalism of Classical Political Philosophy”Timothy W. Burns5 On “Classic Natural Right” in Natural Right and HistoryDevin Stauffer6 “On Collingwood’s Philosophy of History” and “On a New Interpretation of Plato’s Political Philosophy”Jonathan F. CulpPart 3Aristophanes7 Learning to Love Aristophanes: Reading Aristophanes with StraussChristopher BaldwinPart 4Xenophon8 On Leo Strauss’ Presentation of Xenophon’s Political Philosophy in “The Problem of Socrates”Richard S. Ruderman9 “Through the Keyhole”: Leo Strauss’ Rediscovery of Classical Political Philosophy in Xenophon’s Constitution of the LacedaemoniansRichard S. Ruderman10 A Guide to the Study of Leo Strauss’ On TyrannyEric Buzzetti11 Socratic Rhetoric and Political Philosophy: Leo Strauss on Xenophon’s SymposiumDustin Gish12 Strauss on the Memorabilia: Xenophon’s SocratesAmy L. Bonnette13 Strauss on Xenophon’s Anabasis13a The Difference between Socrates and Xenophon in Leo Strauss’ Account of Xenophon’s AnabasisDevin Stauffer13b Divine Justice in Strauss’ AnabasisTimothy W. BurnsPart 5Plato14 Leo Strauss on the Politics of Plato’s RepublicLinda R. Rabieh15 Philosophy and Law: On the Gravest Question in Plato’s MinosRobert Goldberg16 An Introduction to Strauss’ “An Untitled Lecture on Plato’s Euthyphron”Wayne Ambler17 Eristics, Protreptics, and (Dialectics): Strauss on Plato’sEuthydemosMichael Rosano18 Strauss on the Apology and CritoJohn C. Koritansky19 The Argument and the Action of Plato’s LawsMark J. LutzPart 6Aristotle20 Aristotle’s Political Science, Common Sense, and the Socratic Tradition in The City and ManSusan D. CollinsIndex of Proper Names