Introduction to Leo Strauss

Clemens Kauffmann (1961–2020) was Professor of Political Philosophy, Political Theory, and Intellectual History at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg from 2003 until 2020. E. H. Odzuck is Professor of Political Philosophy, Political Theory, and Intellectual History at University of Regensburg. S. G. Zeitlin is Lecturer in Modern Intellectual History at University College London.

"Clemens Kauffmann's An Introduction to Leo Strauss is a clear and thoughtful account of the major elements of Leo Strauss's pathbreaking work, with special emphasis on his understanding of the tension between freedom and authority, philosophy and theology, and classic and modern natural right." — Mark Blitz, Claremont McKenna College"An excellent English translation of Clemens Kauffmann's book on Strauss that transcends partisan and often bitter debate. Strongly recommended for anyone with an interest in Strauss and his understanding of the problematic origin and nature of modernity." — Michael Allen Gillespie, Duke University"This is no ordinary introduction to the work of Leo Strauss. It is rather a deep engagement with some of the most enduring problems of Strauss's work—the unprecedented character of modernity, the centrality of the 'Jewish Question,' and the future of philosophy in an age dominated by positivism and historicism. This book is a feast for whoever picks it up." — Steven B. Smith, Yale University"Kauffmann suggests that an 'introduction' to Leo Strauss 'cannot exist,' as his work resists simplification and popularity. But in this 'unhabitual' and independent-minded work, Kauffmann provides a way of understanding Strauss’s argument for the possibility and necessity of the philosophical life." — Svetozar Minkov, Roosevelt University"The publication of Clemens Kauffmann’s Leo Strauss: An Introduction in English translation should give this work the prominence in Strauss studies it deserves. Kauffmann’s Strauss is no mere historian of political thought, and still less an ideologue driven by a political agenda. Rather, he is a philosopher in his own right, concerned above all with the challenge of defending philosophy over and against its chief rivals. Because Kauffmann appreciates the philosophic intention of Strauss’s work, he focuses on the deepest dimensions of Strauss’s thought, where philosophy confronts the competing claims of theology, science, and history." — Devin Stauffer, University of Texas at Austin

• Foreword Thomas MeyerEditorial Preface and AcknowledgmentsE. H. Odzuck and S. G. ZeitlinForeword by the Author1. The Philosophic Work2. The Crisis of Modernity as Crisis of Philosophy3. Politics and Political Philosophy4. The Necessity of Political Philosophy5. Socrates: The Origin and the Reattainment of Political Philosophy ChronologyNotesBibliographyIndexAbout the Author