Esoteric political philosophy in Strauss's reading of Plato

Abstract

In his lectures on Plato's political philosophy, Strauss chooses esoterism to comprehend political philosophy. Esoterism, for Strauss, reflects an art of writing peculiar to the classics. This art of writing aims to emphasize the difference between philosophy and non-philosophy. However, Strauss argues that Platonic esoterism tries to find a solution through which the philosophy and non-philosophy can compromise. This solution can be found in the Republic in which Plato seeks to prevail the philosophical truth over the non-philosophy. This article aims to find out how and where Strauss relates political philosophy with Platonic esoterism.