communism

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Friedrich Nietzsche

G.W.F. Hegel

liberal education

magnanimity

Martin Heidegger

nobility

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shame

Socrates

thinking

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World War I

is only the completion of democratic egalitarianism and of the liberalistic demand for freedom which is not a "freedom for" but only a "freedom from.."

Owing to its radical anti-egalitarianism Nietzsche's vision of a possible future is in a sense more profoundly political than Marx' vision. Like the typical Continental European conservative Nietzsche saw in communism only the completion of democratic egalitarianism and of the liberalistic demand for freedom which is not a "freedom for" but only a "freedom from." But in contradistinction to those conservatives he held that conservatism as such is doomed, since all merely defensive positions, all merely backward looking endeavors are doomed. The future seemed to be with democracy and nationalism. Both were regarded by Nietzsche as incompatible with what he held to be the task of the twentieth century.

is possible only if there is something we do not and cannot question. It is that which becomes character and style.

History becomes a spectacle that for the superficial is exciting and for the serious is enervating. It teaches a truth that is deadly. It shows us that culture is possible only if men are fully dedicated to principles of though and action which they do not and cannot question, which limit their horizon and thus enable them to have a character and a style. (Strauss 'relativism' 152)

is a licentious state of affairs in which a multiplicity of conflicting and irreconcilable appetites compete for dominance.

For both Plato and Strauss, democracy is 'a licentious state of affairs in which a multiplicity of conflicting and irreconcilable appetites compete for dominance' . . .

is defined formally, based not on its content (i.e. On the good) but on man's manner of being.

The analytics of Existenz contains, then, an ethics, even if only a formal ethics: to the extent to which one understands existenz, one realizes the general cahracter of the truly human. The ethics is formal since it is based, not on the nature of man, on man's beingness, but on the human situation or, somewaht more preciesly, on man's manner of being. Hense, it does not say that the good life is the life according to nature, according to the nature of man, but it does say, in effect, that the good life is the life according to the essential cahracter of Existenz' (Leo Straus 'relativism' 155)

has both negative and positive aspects. It is negative freedom when it is freedom for the empirical self. It is positive freedom when it is freedom for the true self.

positive freedom, freedom for, has to a higher degree the tendency to be understood as freedom only for the true self and therefore as compatible with the most extreme coercion of the empirical selves to become somethign that their true selves allegedly desire' (leo Strauss 'relativism' 136) (leo Strauss 'relativism' 135)

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is able to be reduced to one proposition in his criticism: modern man has been trying to preserve biblical morality while abandoning biblical faith. That is impossible.

Nietzsche’s criticism can be reduced to one proposition: modern man has been trying to preserve biblical morality while abandoning biblical faith. That is impossible.

is alone in having penetrated pessimism. When others express an adoration of the nothing, it is a kind of world-denial. For him, and him alone, an adoration of the notion is the most unbounded Yes: the eternal Yes-saying to everything that was and is.

Nietzsche, prompted by “some enigmatic desire,” has tried for a long time to penetrate pessimism to its depth and in particular to free it from the delusion of morality which in a way contradicts its world-denying tendency. He thus has grasped a more world-denying way of thinking than any other pessimist. Yet a man who has taken this road has perhaps without intending to do this opened his eyes to the opposite ideal—to the ideal belonging to the religion of the future. It goes without saying that what in some other men was “perhaps” the case was a fact in Nietzsche’s thought and life. The adoration of the nothing proves to be the indispensable transition from every kind of world-denial to the most unbounded Yes: the eternal Yes-saying to everything that was and is.

has spoken better than any other and more nobly than any other of what a philosopher is.

No one has ever spoken so greatly and so nobly of what a philosopher is as Nietzsche.

is the embodiment of a noble nature which replaces Plato’s presentation of divine nature.

Strauss’ whole study indicates that noble nature as Nietzsche presents it—no, embodies it—replaces divine nature as Platopresents it.

is one in whose system of philosophy, the final philosophy, the perfect solution of all philosophic problems belongs to the moment when mankind has solved in principle its political problem by establishing the post-revolutionary state, the first state to recognize the equal dignity of every human being as such. This absolute peak of history, being the end of history, is at the same time the beginning of the final decline. In this respect Spengler has merely brought out the ultimate conclusion of Hegel's thought.

The absolute moment may be the absolute moment simply or the absolute moment of all previous history. That it is the absolute moment simply had been the contention of Hegel. His system of philosophy, the final philosophy, the perfect solution of all philosophic problems belongs to the moment when mankind has solved in principle its political problem by establishing the post-revolutionary state, the first state to recognize the equal dignity of every human being as such. This absolute peak of history, being the end of history, is at the same time the beginning of the final decline. In this respect Spengler has merely brought out the ultimate conclusion of Hegel's thought.

is the living witness for the absence of redemption. They are the chosen people in that they are chosen to prove the absence of redemption.

The Jewish people and their fate are the living witness for the absence of redemption. This, one could say, is the meaning of the chosen people... the Jews are chosen to prove the absence of redemption. Leo Strauss

is the constant intercourse with the greatest minds, a training in the highest form of modesty and boldness.

Liberal education, which consist in the constant intercourse with the greatest minds, is a training in the highest form of modesty. . . . It is at the same time a training in boldness. . . . It demands from us the boldness implied in the resolve to regard the accepted views as mere opinions, or to regard the average opinions as extreme opinions which are at least as likely to be wrong as the most strange or least popular opinions Leo Strauss

is a virtue of the first order and consists of the habit of claiming high honors for oneself with the understanding that one is worthy of them.

Men often speak of virtue without using the word but saying instead "the quality of life" or "the great society" or "ethical" or even "square." But do we know what virtue is? Socrates arrived at the conclusion that it is the greatest good for a human being to make everyday speeches about virtue-apparently without ever finding a completely satisfactory definition of it. However, if we seek the most elaborate and least ambiguous answer to this truly vital question, we shall turn to Aristotle's Ethics. There we read among other things that there is a virtue of the first order called magnanimity—the habit of claiming high honors for oneself with the understanding that one is worthy of them.

's work has no room for political philosophy, and this may well be due to the fact that the room in question is occupied by gods or the gods.

Existentialism is a "movement" which like all such movements has a flabby periphery and a hard center. That center is the thought of Heidegger. To that thought alone existentialism owes its importance or intellectual respectability. There is no room for political philosophy in Heidegger's work, and this may well be due to the fact that the room in question is occupied by gods or the gods.

is always either about preservation or change. When desiring to preserve, we wish to prevent a change for the worse... when desiring to change, we wish to bring about something better.

All political action aims at either preservation or change. When desiring to preserve, we wish to prevent a change for the worse... when desiring to change, we wish to bring about something better. All political action is then guided by some thought of better or worse. Leo Strauss

is not the philosophic study of politics, but the political, or popular, treatment of philosophy. It is an attempt to lead citizens from the political life to the philosophic life.

The adjective 'political' in 'political philosophy' designates not so much the subject matter as a manner of treatment... from this point of view, I say, 'political philosophy' means primarily not the philosophic study of politics, but the political, or popular, treatment of philosophy, or the political introduction to philosophy the attempt to lead qualified citizens, or rather their qualified sons, from the political life to the philosophic life. Leo Strauss

is not a virtue: while it is becoming for the young who, due to their immaturity, cannot help making mistakes, it is not for mature and well-bred men who simply always do the right and proper thing.

We also read there that sense of shame is not a virtue: sense of shame is becoming for the young who, due to their immaturity, cannot help making mistakes, but not for mature and well-bred men who simply always do the right and proper thing. Wonderful as all this is-we have received a very different message from a very different quarter.

's idea of virtue boiled down to making everyday speeches about virtue without ever finding a completely satisfactory definition of it.

Men often speak of virtue without using the word but saying instead "the quality of life" or "the great society" or "ethical" or even "square." But do we know what virtue is? Socrates arrived at the conclusion that it is the greatest good for a human being to make everyday speeches about virtue-apparently without ever finding a completely satisfactory definition of it. However, if we seek the most elaborate and least ambiguous answer to this truly vital question, we shall turn to Aristotle's Ethics. There we read among other things that there is a virtue of the first order called magnanimity—the habit of claiming high honors for oneself with the understanding that one is worthy of them. We also read there that sense of shame is not a virtue: sense of shame is becoming for the young who, due to their immaturity, cannot help making mistakes, but not for mature and well-bred men who simply always do the right and proper thing. Wonderful as all this is-we have received a very different message from a very different quarter.

is simply a matter of seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren't noticing, which makes you see something that isn't even visible.

All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren't noticing, which makes you see something that isn't even visible.

is incapable of being absolute because it turns into ferocious hatred of those who believe in universals of human nature and unchangeable standards derived therefrom.

Absolute tolerance is altogether impossible... the allegedly absolute tolerance turns into ferocious hatred of those who have stated clearly and most forcefully that there are unchangeable standards founded in the nature of man and the nature of things. Leo Strauss

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