I listened to Strauss' first lecture on the Meno last night I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably because it's forbidden fruit. I was fascinated by Strauss' notion that the mise-en-scene of the Dialogues is as important as the content of Socrates/Plato's statements within them. Strauss also goes into the problem of authorial voice within the Socrates/Plato hybrid. He believes that Socrates is an ironist and does not always mean what he says. If that's the case then which part of the Socrates/Plato puppet show do we believe? Perhaps this is a handy foundation to launch a neo-conservative interpretation of Plato and the first lecture on the Meno does seem like Strauss is setting up a trap for the Positivist and Historicist critique of Political Philosophy with its embrace of "The Good". But I'd have to listen to the rest of them which I well might do!