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TheQuestionofModernityMeetstheQuestionofLeoStrauss
Mr.Cogito
alwaysdefendedhimself
againstthesmokeoftime
hevaluedconcreteobjects
standingquietlyinspace
heworshippedthingsthatarepermanent
almostimmortal
dreamsaboutthespeechofcherubs
heleftinthegardenofdream
hechose
whatdepends
onearthlymeasuresandjudgment
sowhenthehourcomes
hecanconsentwithoutamurmur
tothetrialoftruthandfalsehood
tothetrialoffireandwater
(TheAdventuresofMr.CogitowithMusic,
translatedbyJohnandBogdanaCarpenter)
11
Afterhavinglistenedtothepoetletusturntotheworksofthescholarswhose
articlesformthecontentofthisvolume.Thearrangementofthechaptersis
basedonthefollowingidea.Thefirstpartofthebookmaybereferredtoas
"LeoStraussReconsidered”andconsistsoffivechaptersdwellingonthemajor
themesinStrauss’sthought.Thesecondpart,comprisedoffourchapters,may
belabeled"LeoStraussEncountered”asitattemptstoexploreStrauss’slegacy
againstthebackdropofsomeofhismajordisputants.Thethirdpartmaybede-
scribedas"LeoStraussReread”asitconsistsoftwochapters:thefirstonedeals
withStrauss’sartofreading(or"learningbyreading”)inthecontextofpost-
modernchallengeandthesecondoneprovidesanexampleofaninsightfulartof
reading.Webelievethatsuchanarrangementlendsthebookcoherencythatwill
allowthereadertograspthethreadleadingfromtheessentialquestion"WhyLeo
Strauss?”tothecontroversyovertreatmentofthetext,thecontroversywhichis
nowadaysconsideredcrucial.
HeinrichMeierinthechapterentitledWhyLeoStrauss.FourAnswersand
OneConsiderationconcerningtheUsesandDisadvantagesoftheSchoolforthe
PhilosophicalLifeclaimsthatthequestion"WhyLeoStrauss”canbeanswered
separatelyfromtherecentStraussboominmedia.Heunfoldshisanswertothe
questionposedattheverybeginningintofouranswers.Thefirstansweristhat
Straussopenedupanewhistoricalandphilosophicalaccesstothehistoryofphi-
losophybymakingusawareoftheexoteric-esotericwayofwritingandthereby