Faith and Political Philosophy: The Correspondence Between Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin, 1934-1964 [Hardcover]

Leo Strauss (Author), Peter Emberley (Author), Barry Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin were political theorists of the first rank whose impact on the study of political science in North America has been profound. A study of their writings is one of the most expeditious ways to explore the core of political science; comparing and contrasting the positions both theorists have taken in assessing that core provides a comprehensive appreciation of the main options of the Western tradition.In fifty-three recently discovered letters, Strauss and Voegelin explore the nature of their similarities and differences, offering trenchant observations about one another's work, about the state of the discipline, and about the influences working on them. The correspondence fleshes out many assumptions made in their published writings, often with a frankness and directness that removes all vestiges of ambiguity. Included with the correspondence are four pivotal re-published essays-Jersualem and Athens: Some Preliminary Reflections (Strauss), The Gospel and Culture (Voegelin), Immortality: Experience and Symbol (Voegelin), and The Mutual Influence of Theology and Philosophy (Strauss)-and commentaries by James L. Wiser, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Stanley Rosen, Thomas J.J. Altizer, Timothy Fuller, Ellis Sandoz, Thomas L. Pangle, and David Walsh.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It would be difficult to find a more profound and stimulating book covering the whole history and understanding of faith and reason in Western intellectual history. . . . In so many ways, the correspondence itself . . . is simply gripping. One has to lack a soul not to realize that here we approach, haltingly, the ultimate things. . . . The book, in short, is exciting and profound. . . . This correspondence is a trumpet call from the political philosophers to theologians, scientists, philosophers, and historians to wake up, to attend to the real origins and meanings of the disorders of modernity that have arisen from a failure to understand reason and revelation."--Review of Metaphysics

"Faith and Political Philosophy is an unusual book: not only does it introduce the reader to the highly original and exciting world of Leo Strauss's and Eric Voegelin's thought, the study of which, it is justly claimed, is one of the most expeditious ways to explore the core of political science,' but it also provides an intimate glimpse into the personal side of their scholarship."--Muslim World Book Review

"This book serves well to initiate its readers into a lively and provocative exchange between two of the best contemporary political philosophers and their respective legacies."--Canadian Journal of Political Science

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (Txt); 1St Edition edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271008830
• ISBN-13: 978-0271008837
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,394,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Difference between the 1993 edition and the 2004 edition is:, October 11, 2004

By 

Joseph Martin "pomonomo2003" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith and Political Philosophy: The Correspondence Between Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin, 1934-1964 (Paperback)

"The first edition of this collection, published by Pennsylvania State University Press in 1993, contained a third section, which included several essays by scholars dealing with one or another aspect of the work of Strauss and Voegelin or with comparisons of their work. Partly for reasons of space and partly because the past decade of scholarly work would require significant revision of these papers to make them as useful today as they were then, we have omitted them from this edition." Introduction, 2004 Edition, p XXIII.

The 2004 edition only contains section 1, the correspondence between Strauss and Voegelin, and section 2, which consists of 4 essays - 2 by Voegelin and 2 by Strauss, and NO section 3. ...It would have been only sporting if this had been mentioned in the editorial remarks for the 2004 edition here on the Amazon site. And, to add insult to injury, if you click on the link 'look inside this book' (on the 2004 edition page) it shows you the index (of the 1993 edition) with the absent third section included! You are NOT getting, in the 2004 edition, essays by James L Wiser, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Stanley Rosen, Thomas J.J. Altizer, Timothy Fuller, Ellis Sandoz, Thomas L. Pangle and David Walsh. A pity - the Gadamer, Rosen, Altizer, Sandoz and Pangle pieces look quite interesting.

The collection of letters is well worth owning. I give only three stars because the absence of section 3 was never mentioned.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith & Political Philosophy, January 19, 2007

By 

Dawn R. Gessner "Biblegirl" (Fairfax, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faith And Poltical Philosophy: The Correspondence between Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin, 1934-1964 (Paperback)

Great book. Very thought provoking. Arrived in good condition from this supplier.