The Straussian Moment by Peter Thiel

The Straussian Moment Reviews

• 
  Mike Horne

  This is not a book but an essay. You can read it here.
  https://gwern.net/doc/politics/2007-t...
  
  It is worth reading. I am not sure what it means. Will have to read it a few times.
• 
  noblethumos

  "The Straussian Moment" is an essay written by entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel in 2003. In the essay, Thiel argues that the dominant political philosophy of the United States, liberalism, has failed to provide a meaningful vision of the future and that the country needs to adopt a more robust political philosophy to address the challenges of the modern world. Thiel suggests that the teachings of Leo Strauss, a political philosopher and academic, can provide the basis for such a philosophy. Thiel argues that Strauss's emphasis on the importance of nation-states, the need for strong leadership, and the role of religion in society are essential for a successful political philosophy in the 21st century. Thiel's essay has been influential in certain political and intellectual circles and has sparked debate about the role of philosophy in politics.
  
  GPT
• 
  Alfred

  "One may define a “liberal” as someone who knows nothing of the past and of this history of violence, and still holds to the Enlightenment view of the natural goodness of humanity. And one may define a “conservative” as some- one who knows nothing of the future and of the global world that is destined to be, and therefore still believes that the nation-state or other institutions rooted in sacred violence can contain unlimited human violence."
• 
  Pranav

  The West, in concentrating on the welfare of its people at the treaty of Westphalia, pushed the grand questions of how to live under the rug, and created a society whose achievements sprouted the modern age. It also sprouted the America of 9/11. While the other, the left out Islamic world, still thinks of it, and it's leaders, Bin Laden one of them, can(could) command a lot of respect by proselytizing on how to live. And so it is time we let go of the cheap garb of liberalism and the values of enlightenment, and start debating why God abandoned us on Friday at 3pm.
  
  But what would have happened if the essay was written today? Could Bin Laden be easily replaced as a metaphor by Putin now, or Xi next year. I suspect he could. And that's a problem, when any philosophy opposed to the West could fill the ideological gap much anticipated here. Just because the flavour of the decade is attacking you, doesn't mean you should abandon what has brought you where you are. Of course the US has much to introspect, but to resurrect a long forgotten god ain't gonna do it, given that god was used as justification for much of it.
  
  In some way, I sympathize with the author. He wants the world to care more about ideology, but that it never did. It was always about proliferation and sustenance in cycles. And ideology never helped much with it. We live in that world, because of that world.
  
  2 stars mostly because of so many mentions of Hobbes, but no Calvinists.
• 
  Sebastian Campos

  An interesting summary of the debate between Girard and Strauss, with several thought-provoking passages strewn throughout.
• 
  sophie

  actually, straussianism is the rare, unholy synthesis between philosophy major and finance/tech bro