The City and Man

The City and Man consists of provocative essays by the late Leo Strauss on three monumental works of classical political philosophy:

• Aristotle's Politics
• Plato's Republic
• Thucydides' Peloponnesian Wars

Together, these essays form a brilliant attempt to use classical political philosophy as a means to liberate modern political philosophy from the stranglehold of ideology. Rooted in Strauss's long and intimate familiarity with these works, the essay on Aristotle stands out as particularly significant. It is one of Strauss's few writings on the philosopher who largely shaped his conception of antiquity.

Key Highlights:

• Aristotle's Politics: The essay on Aristotle is especially important, offering deep insights into the philosopher's influence on Strauss's understanding of antiquity.
• Plato's Republic: A full-scale discussion of Platonic political philosophy, this essay is both wide in scope and compact in execution.
• Thucydides' Peloponnesian Wars: Strauss presents Thucydides not only as a moral thinker of high rank but also as a historian whose thought is drawn into the orbit of philosophy. This discussion illuminates a relationship between history and philosophy that does not assume the absorption of philosophy by history.

These essays collectively showcase Strauss's ability to engage with classical texts in a way that is both profound and liberating for modern thought.