A thoughtful reply to my Strauss posts

A fellow blogger, Orthos Logos, has written a thoughtful reply to my two Strauss ("What it means to be a Straussian") posts (here and here). Check out his full reply, as well as his blog generally, but let me quote a few passages here, unedited:

"What really irks people about Strauss, I think, is precisely this simultaneously unpretentious and exquisitely ambitious theme: he forces the question of the truth of our way of life. This is nothing other than the Socratic question, which one way or another most people are trying to avoid -- and often as not for reasons that are understandable (not to say necessary), and which themselves form the subject of political philosophy from Plato on down the line. Like Socrates and Christ, Strauss insists that only truth sets us free, and is reviled by those who would rather shuffle along unthinkingly -- never a small group in any society, and one that in ours includes the vast majority of the 'elite'.

"I strongly agree with Michael's account of the results of a Straussian education. The way I would put it is that Straussianism is defined more than anything else by an awareness of the fundamental issues or alternatives facing man, and the dogged pursuit of the truth thereon, chiefly aided by the art of reading the great books that map out this territory. (In other words, what is most important about Strauss is nothing unique to him at all, but just a recovery of liberal education which has always been what it is.) This is an education that liberates one from the shackles of one's day and age and opens up the realm of possibilities facing man as man. It is a chance, if any chance may be had, to reach for true self-knowledge and knowledge of what is."

Extremely well put -- certainly not mere "ramblings," as he suggests. Orthos Logos and I obviously have our differences, as you'll see when you look at his site, but on this issue we have much in common, and this is clearly a case of the blogosphere allowing different people from different backgrounds to share their experiences and perspectives. Sure, it can be a bit crazy out here, what with all the self-importance and extremism, but there are indeed signs of intelligent life to be discovered.

Thanks for the kind words, Orthos Logos. I would be happy to hear what others have to say about Strauss. Keep the comments coming.