Lucretius as Theorist of Political Life is an interpretation of Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things as a defense of philosophy given the irremediable tension between the competing claims of the philosophic and political life. The central issue is the need for, and attempt by, philosophy to justify and defend its way of life to the political community. This work uncovers how Lucretius' conception of the philosophic life, and the reaction to the human, religious, and political implications of the discovery of nature, distinguish his intention from the anti-theological animus that drives the...

Political societies frequently regard philosophers as potential threats to morality and religion, and those who speak for politics often demand a defense of philosophy. This book will address philosophy as a mode of existence put into question.

Shakespeare's Political Wisdom offers careful interpretations of five Shakespearean plays-Julius Caesar, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, and The Tempest-with a view to the enduring guidance those plays can provide to human, political life. The

The first comprehensive effort to examine Strauss's astonishingly wide-ranging writings of the 1930s (some of which have only recently been made available to English-speaking readers, including several herein) with a view to their unifying theme of recovering classical political philosophy.

The first comprehensive effort to examine Strauss's astonishingly wide-ranging writings of the 1930s (some of which have only recently been made available to English-speaking readers, including several herein) with a view to their unifying theme of recovering classical political philosophy.

An interpretation of Xenophon's Anabasis of Cyrus, paralleling the text to Machiavelli's The Prince, and focusing on the question: How did the Socratic education help Xenophon reconcile morality with effectiveness, the noble with the good, as a ruler?

The book examines the intersection of two philosophical developments which define define contemporary life in the liberal democratic west, considering how democracy has become the only legitimate and publicly defensible regime, while also considering how modern democracy attempts to solve what Leo Strauss called the "theologico-political problem."

Democratic systems of public administration draw on various schools of political leadership to promote administrative ethics and public responsibility. Contemporary public administrators justify their public leadership through a blend of ethics around pragmatism (Mill's utilitarianism), principle (Kant's deontology or duty-based ethics) and prudence (Aristotle's ethical and political theory). Prudential Public Leadership brings Aristotle back into the front rank of studies of administrative leadership, based in part on the now-neglected reliance on Aristotle by the innovators who shaped the...

This edited collection brings to light the rare virtues of Raymond Aron, the main figure of French twentieth-century liberalism, and is an essential supplement to Aron's main works, exploring the substance of his political, sociological, and philosophical thought. The cynosure of his deepest ambition was producing 'praxeology' or a theory of action. His multifaceted oeuvre embodies one of the most successful efforts in twentieth century to conceive of political philosophy as a practical philosophy.

Shakespeare's Political Wisdom offers interpretations of five Shakespearean plays with a view to the enduring guidance those plays can provide to human, political life. The plays have been chosen for their relentless attention to the questions that were once and may sometime become, or be recognized as being, the heart and soul of politics.