Leo Strauss

Early Life and Academic Career

Leo Strauss was a German-Jewish scholar born in 1899 who moved to New York in 1937. He held a long-standing academic post as a professor of political science at the University of Chicago from 1949 until 1969.

During this tenure, he became a charismatic teacher who advocated for the close analysis and reappraisal of classical Greek philosophy as a permanent source of wisdom.

His academic work involved an examination of the principles of the American founding and the works of major historical figures including Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Hobbes, and Machiavelli.

Strauss identified a crisis in Western society characterised by a loss of purpose and legitimacy, which he sought to rectify by restoring the primacy of natural rights embedded in nature.

He was a staunch opponent of twentieth-century totalitarianisms, such as National Socialism and Communism, and he viewed Soviet influence as a threat to both democracy and the State of Israel.

Esotericism and the Art of Writing

The core of Straussian philosophy is the theory of esotericism, which maintains that true philosophers throughout history have hidden their most controversial views within their texts.

This practice was necessary to protect the wise from reprisals and to shield the masses from the ugliness of the truth.

Strauss took as his model the medieval scholar Moses Maimonides, whose secrets were shared only in private with individuals possessing theoretical and political wisdom.

This method of communication relies on a distinction between exoteric teachings, which provide a superficial and socially useful level of instruction for the public, and esoteric meanings embedded in the text for careful and well-trained readers.

Strauss asserted that because the pursuit of knowledge endangers the opinions upon which society rests, science and philosophy must remains the preserve of a small minority.

The Noble Lie and Political Deception

Strauss utilised a unique interpretation of Plato’s concept of the noble lie to endorse the use of mass deception in political governance.

He maintained that philosophers must manipulate public images through media and periodicals to ensure the covert rule of the wise. Within this framework, deception is the standard norm in political life.

Strauss argued that a stable political order requires unity through an external threat, and he followed Machiavelli in the belief that if no such threat exists, one must be manufactured.

This led to the creation of public myths that mould emotions and take on a transcendent importance. Individuals and populations are viewed as shapeless lumps of clay to be transformed through regime change.

Strauss also noted the effectiveness of cinema and television in shaping mass public emotion, particularly favouring the American Western genre for its intelligibility in depicting conflicts between good and evil.

Super-Machiavellian Pan-Zionism

The main theme of Straussian reflections from a very early period was the Jewish Question, and his general philosophy is defined as a super-Machiavellian pan-Zionism.

Strauss believed that Jewish identity is fundamentally based on the persecution inherent in the dispersion and rejected political Zionism because it sought to make Israel a nation like others. Instead, he advocated for a religious Zionism that transcends national projects while commending the state of Israel for fulfilling acts of national cleansing through the prohibition of mixed marriages.

This ideology insists on strict racial purity and views other nations as subjects to the Jewish people. Strauss approved of the biblical program for Jewish world domination, as prophesied by Isaiah, which involves the total destruction of any nation that will not serve the Jewish state.

He asserted that Israel must remain everywhere as a unique nation destined to rule over and destroy other nations spiritually through any immoral means necessary.

Neoconservatism and the Deep State

Strauss served as the intellectual father of the Neoconservative movement in the United States, and the core members of this group are his former students or the students of those students.

These individuals, sometimes known as Leo-Cons, have used Straussian principles to justify lawless, brutal, and deceptive foreign policies. This network includes figures such as Paul Wolfowitz, Irving Kristol, Abram Shulsky, and Douglas Feith.

Under the inspiration of Strauss, these elites specialised in crafting public myths and fabricating intelligence to support hegemonic imperial designs. This was exemplified by the fabrication of intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction used to justify the invasion of Iraq.

The September 11th Attacks can be seen as a Straussian coup plotted by this conspiratorial network to trigger World War III and re-engage the public in a grand vision of American destiny for the benefit of Zion.

Intellectual Legacy and Internal Rifts

Straussianism is divided into two distinct schools of thought known as the East Coast and West Coast Straussians.

The East Coast school is associated with a dogmatic adherence to Atheism and the belief that the universe is indifferent to human conceptions of right and wrong. The West Coast school, largely associated with Harry Jaffa and the Claremont Institute, focuses on the American Founding as an act of practical statesmanship.

West Coast Straussians argue that the American regime is based on the recognition of natural equality and the consent of the governed. They identify Progressivism as a fundamentally alien influence that transformed the American regime into a system of administrative rule by experts.

This faction supported the political movement led by Donald Trump as the first serious challenge to this governing paradigm in decades. Despite these internal rifts, all Straussians share an awareness of the permanent problems of human existence and a rejection of modern relativistic dogmas.

Historical Influence on Leadership

The impact of Straussian thought extends to the assassination of President John F Kennedy, which was a Zionist coup orchestrated to remove a leader who attempted to break the power of the Israel Lobby.

Kennedy had signed an ultimatum to David Ben Gurion demanding the inspection of the Dimona Nuclear Reactor, a move that prompted Ben-Gurion to resign and the subsequent plotting of the assassination. Lyndon B Johnson, a staunch Zionist, managed the resulting cover-up with the assistance of Straussian figures and the Jewish underworld.

These actions reflect the Straussian belief that the elite have a moral justification to lie and use violence to avoid perceived danger to their interests. Following the example of Abraham Lincoln and other historical figures, Straussians continue to use history and philosophy as vehicles for their esoteric doctrines and grand ambitions.