Alterman & Lilla lovefest

H. Curtiss Leung hncl at panix.com
Mon Nov 12 12:22:06 PST 2001


Justin Schwartz wrote:


> >Straussian Henry Jaffa. Jaffa has stated that "sodomy" is the chief
> >problem facing the Republic.
>

Which prompted Doug to wonder:


> Hmm, Allan Bloom didn't seem to think so. But is it ok for the elite
> to bugger, while the masses must be kept to the straight & narrow?
>

I figure it must be a Straussian exoteric/esoteric distinction (no joke): for them, virtue is a narrow path along which those incapable of the task of philosophizing must be kept shuffling. Bloom, on the other hand, was a philosopher, and could be permitted these things--provided he kept his mouth shut about them. His mistake was thinking that Saul Bellow was someone capable of Straussian "philosophical" deception. -- Curtiss



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