[lit-ideas] Re: Strauss
- From: wokshevs@xxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Simon Ward <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2006 19:20:51 -0230
I'm a tad confused here. Are we speaking of the same L. Strauss who was the
mentor of Professor A. Bloom at the U. of Chicago? ("Programme on Social
Thought" which includes to this day the likes of Robert Pippin?). Bloom (not to
be mistaken with Harold or the fella who devised the "taxonomy of educational
objectives") translated Plato's *Republic* (very nicely done, I thoght, but
then I don't read Greek) and wrote a hot best-seller entitled *The closing of
the American mind* which I still use in my Education classes. Bloom is dead
now, but I believe his views on the nature and purposes of the discipline of
philosophy, and its holistic integration with education, are still quite valid
(and sound). I believe one Saul Bellows wrote a novel about Bloom, but the
title escapes me at present. I think the title has a proper name in it. Bloom
and Richard Rorty, btw. were clasmates together and the rest is history, of
course. Almost everything Rorty has to say about his "ethnocentric" position
(in relation to Habermas, Rawls and Kant) and the aims of education in a
constitutional democracy, are in response to Bloom's views on truth and
education, either implicitly or explicitly.
Hoping my nakedness isn't too distracting,
Walter O.
Director,
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Educative Platonists
Chicago, Illinois
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Quoting Simon Ward <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Prompted by Robert's wagging finger (I'm a sucker for authority), I did some
> reading and came to a few conclusions about the enigmatic Strauss.
>
> 1. Be concerned not with what politics can do, but with how it is done.
>
> 2. There is no god, but it certainly helps if everybody else thinks there
> is.
>
> 3. The philosopher writes for two audiences: those who understand what is
> being written and those who merely think they do; the first audience are true
> philosphers, the second audience are just scholars.
>
> 4. It's enough to believe that liberals are nihilists; those who aren't,
> don't have to believe in anything more.
>
> 5. The Straussians aren't wearing any clothes!
>
> Regards
>
> Simon
>
>
>
>
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