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TheQuestionofModernityMeetstheQuestionofLeoStrauss
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fundamentalalternativesregardingtheirsolution.Modernphilosophyispoliti-
cizedbecauseitwantstoestablishthebestorderwhileoriginalphilosophywas
ratherhumanizingsinceitdidnotputitselfintheserviceofsuchactualization.
Thedifferencebetweenphilosophersandintellectualscorrespondstothediffer-
encebetweenphilosophersandgentlemenandbetweenphilosophersandsoph-
istsorrhetoricians.Grantedthatphilosophyhasawarenessofitslimits,itcan
answertheSocraticquestionofhowtolivebecauseitisawayoflifedevotedto
thequestforknowledgeorwisdom.This"Socraticanswer”remainsinaperen-
nialconflictwith"theanti-Socraticanswer.”Tarcovdiscussestherelationbe-
tweenphilosophicquestioningandthedivinelawandbetweenthephilosopher
andpopularopinion.Thephilosopher’sascentfromthecaveandhisdescentinto
thecaveisdiscussedhereindetailagainstthebackdropofthedependenceof
thephilosophiclifeonthecity.Thechapterendswithaskingafewcompelling
questionsregardingtheverypossibilityofchoosingthephilosophicwayoflife
asone’sownwayoflife.
DavidJanssensbeginshischapterentitledThePhilosopher’sAncientClothes.
LeoStraussonPhilosophyandPoetrywitharemarkthatwecandistinguish
threequarrelsintheworkofLeoStrauss:1)betweenAthensandJerusalem,or
reasonandrevelation;2)betweenAncientsandModerns;3)betweenphiloso-
phyandpoetry.Hearguesthatthethirdquarreldeservesmoreattentionthanit
hasreceiveduptillnow.Hisaimistodrawourattentiontotheimportanceof
ancientpoetryforStrauss’sunderstandingoftheartofwritingoftheclassical
philosophers.AccordingtohimStrausstookthethirdquarrelnolessseriously
thantheothers.HearguesthatLeoStrausshadbecomeincreasinglydoubtful
whetherthereisaquarrelbetweenpoetryandphilosophy(asfamouslydeclared
byPlato).Janssens’smainthesisisthatancientphilosophyisfundamentallyin-
debtedtoancientpoetry.Asanexamplemayservethewellknownfactthatthe
word"nature”(phusis)appearsinHomer’sOdyssey.Straussdiscoveredthatthe
famousGreekhistorianssuchasHerodotus,ThucydidesorXenophonwerenot
interestedinmerelyrecordingtheevents.Theirtrueaimwasprotreptic:tohelp
attentivereaderstofreethemselvesfromtheauthoritativeopinionsandarrive
atagenuineeducation(paideia).JanssensaversthatStrauss’sreflectionreached
apointwherethedistinctionbetweenpoets,historians,andphilosophersseems
todissolve.InordertogaintheproperunderstandingofPlatowehavetostudy
thewritingsofthepre-Platonicpoetsandhistorians.Whenviewedfromtheper-
spectiveoftheartofwriting(Platonic"noblelies”andHesiodic-Homeric"tales
similartothetruth”)thesimilaritiesbetweenpoetsandphilosophersseemtobe
striking.Oneofthemostimportantsimilaritiesbetweenthetwocanbeseenin
theirministerialandnotautonomouscharacter:theyleadmentotheunderstand-
ingofthehumansoul.
PawełArmadainthechapterentitledLeoStraussasErzieher:TheDefenseof
PhilosophicalLifeortheDefenseofLifeAgainstPhilosophyclaimsthattheques-