On Sun, 11 Nov 2001 23:18:53 +0000 "Justin Schwartz" <jkschw at hotmail.com>
writes:
>
> >
> >Justin Schwartz wrote:
> >
>Also,
> Nietzsche was right, there is no objective value and no God, but we
> must
> never ever say this or society will collapse. Thus Strauss wrote
> books like
> Natural Right and History, defending an objectivism he thought was a
> lie.
>
> Strauss' students include, most famously, Allan Bloom, whose Closing
> of the
> American Mind is a classic Straussian esoteric text.
A point that was not always understood by reviewers at the time *The Closing of the American Mind* came out (although I recall running across one or two that seem to have understood this point. Exoterically, Bloom seemed to be bashing postmodern theory, and especially the widespread acceptance of relativism among American university students and to have been promoting a moral objectivism,
but esoterically, Bloom actually thought that the pomos were right but that widespread acceptance of their conclusions would be destructive to American society & culture. This is not really so surprising when we consider that Bloom's teacher, Leo Strauss had after all been a student of Martin Heidegger.
Also, while Bloom wrote respectfully concerning religious piety, a careful reading of his text suggests that he was in fact an atheist, who considered the religious virtues to be distinctly inferior to the philosophical ones. But as a true Straussian, he of course endorsed the teaching of religion's noble lies to the masses.
It is also interesting to consider in this light William Bennett's (the former education secretary under Reagan) equivocations on creationism. Thus Bennett has attempted to promote the teaching of creationism in public school curricula, yet when asked in interiviews whether or not he accepted creationism over evolutionary biology, he would always give equivical answers, which presumably as a Straussian were perhaps the only answers that he could give.
Jim F.
>
> jks
>
> >The other day at the Nation's offices, Alterman MC'd a chat with
> Joan
> >Didion. Why a talented and distinguished writer like Didion had to
> be
> >saddled with such an interlocutor is anyone's guess, but it was a
> sad
> >sight. During the proceedings, Alterman made a revealing reference
> to
> >a fantasy of a "better elite." He made it clear that he wrote not
> for
> >a broad audience, or to democratize political discourse, but for a
> >small group of the Enlightened. Who aren't Enlightened enough for
> >him. But this helps explain his fondness for Lilla.
> >
> >Doug
>
>
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