Description
Book SynopsisHarry V. Jaffa, one of Straussâs most influential students and an ardent participant in the internal divisions among Straussians, brings together his key contributions to the battle to define Straussâs legacy. The collection includes an important original essay, published here for the first time, âœStraussian Geography: A Memoir and Commentary.â
Trade ReviewAmong Straussian publications on American politics (to say nothing of non-Straussian), none excels Harry Jaffa’s masterpiece, A New Birth of Freedom. In Crisis of the Strauss Divided, Jaffa explains to his critics why a defense of Lincoln and the Founders is, paradoxically, consistent with political philosophy — which many equate with an apolitical interpretation of Great Books. Political philosophy means nothing without a lively concern with the problems of life here and now. -- Thomas G. West
This is some very intricate stuff, and requires setting aside a good chunk to time to work through. But worth it. * Powerline *
Crisis of the Strauss Divided gathers together 19 essays. Readers. . .will be pleasantly surprised by the later entries' civil, engaging tone. . . .Harry Jaffa has developed a distinctive political philosophy, one that places political and moral questions a the center of its concerns. Though sharing certain characteristics with the sweeping philosophies of history, Jaffa's account puts reason, rather than History, firmly in the driver's seat. * Claremont Review of Books *
Jaffa is almost single-handedly the creator of what has been known as West Coast Straussianism. . . .Crisis of the Strauss Divided consists of 19 essays, the most revealing of which is the semi-autobiographal "Straussian Geography." * The New York Times *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Preface Chapter 1: Straussian Geography: A Memoir and Commentary Chapter 2: Leo Strauss Remembered Chapter 3: Political Philosophy and Honor: The Leo Strauss Dissertation Award Chapter 4: The Legacy of Leo Strauss: Review of Studies in Platonic Political Philosophy Chapter 5: The Platonism of Leo Strauss: A Reply to Harry Jaffa Chapter 6: “The Legacy of Leo Strauss” Defended Chapter 7: The Politics of Moderation: Strauss’s Esotericism Chapter 8: Leo Strauss’s Churchillian Speech and the Question of the Decline of the West Chapter 9: Response to M.F. Burnyeat’s “Sphinx Without a Secret,” A Review of Studies in Platonic Political Philosophy in the New York Review of Books Chapter 10: “Dear Professor Drury” Chapter 11: Crisis of the Strauss Divided: The Legacy Reconsidered Chapter 12: Leo Strauss, the Bible, and Political Philosophy Chapter 13: A Letter to the Editor of the New York Review of Books, 1992 Chapter 14: “Relativism” Chapter 15: Strauss at 100 Chapter 16: Moral Order in the Western Tradition: Harry Jaffa’s Grand Synthesis of Athens, Jerusalem, and Peoria Chapter 17: Too Good to be True? A Reply to Robert Kraynak’s “Moral Order in the Western Tradition: Harry Jaffa’s Grand Synthesis of Athens, Jerusalem, and Peoria” Chapter 18: Jaffa’s New Birth: Harry Jaffa at Ninety Chapter 19: A Reply to Michael Zuckert’s “Jaffa’s New Birth: Harry Jaffa at Ninety” Chapter 20: Epilogue to Crisis of the Strauss Divided
