[beckett]

Very valuable addition to the spate of articles on Strauss that have appeared lately. I especially appreciate Orwin's elucidation of the "esoteric writing" controversy. His explanation makes sense. The explanations of the anti-Straussians never did.

I have not read Strauss, although I have read about him in articles like Orwin's for several years. Maybe it's finally time to crack a book. In fact, I am becoming so intrigued by him that I may even attempt a disciplined approach to his work and look for guidance in how best to read him.

[A.J.Armitage]

I especially appreciate Orwin's elucidation of the "esoteric writing" controversy. His explanation makes sense. The explanations of the anti-Straussians never did.

It's not quite as simple as Orwin puts it. The great example of the need for esoteric writing is always the trial and execution of Socrates -- in democratic Athens. So it's not just the rulers philosophers have to watch out for. But it's still a means of saving the philosopher from people who might wish to do him harm, not a way of exercising power.