Comment Re:Just sensationalism... move along. (Score 1) 705
Have you seen Shadia Drury's work? She's been after the Straussians for a long time. You can find a very informative interview with her here.
Some people have called her a conspiracy theorist, and in fact, when I first heard her interpretation of Straussianism, I thought she was nuts. I had heard Wolfowitz interviewed and to me he sounded like an exceptionally bright , compassionate guy.
However, the events of the last few years have convinced me otherwise. Not about the bright part either. Things have gone quite badly for the US on the ground in Iraq. I have a hard time believing that a group of people as smart as Wolfowitz and Feith are screwing up "accidentally." Thus I am left to give credence to Prof. Drury, that this is an organized plan on the part of the neo-cons.
I've read some Plato, and it seems to me that if Wolfowitz et. al. are deeply influenced by The Republic. They are the philosopher kings, while people like Tommy Franks are the guardians. Pretty clear cut. To paraphrase Prof. Drury, an admirer of "The Republic" could not be in favor of democracy. So if Strauss and his students venerated the classics as much as they claim to have, then Wolfowitz etc. are lying. They don't believe in democracy. They believe in perpetual war as a means to keep the unwashed masses off balanced, and the elites firmly in power.
Some people have called her a conspiracy theorist, and in fact, when I first heard her interpretation of Straussianism, I thought she was nuts. I had heard Wolfowitz interviewed and to me he sounded like an exceptionally bright , compassionate guy.
However, the events of the last few years have convinced me otherwise. Not about the bright part either. Things have gone quite badly for the US on the ground in Iraq. I have a hard time believing that a group of people as smart as Wolfowitz and Feith are screwing up "accidentally." Thus I am left to give credence to Prof. Drury, that this is an organized plan on the part of the neo-cons.
I've read some Plato, and it seems to me that if Wolfowitz et. al. are deeply influenced by The Republic. They are the philosopher kings, while people like Tommy Franks are the guardians. Pretty clear cut. To paraphrase Prof. Drury, an admirer of "The Republic" could not be in favor of democracy. So if Strauss and his students venerated the classics as much as they claim to have, then Wolfowitz etc. are lying. They don't believe in democracy. They believe in perpetual war as a means to keep the unwashed masses off balanced, and the elites firmly in power.
