5 - Strauss’s Return to Premodern Thought

Summary

In an essay entitled “Progress or Return? The Contemporary Crisis in Western Civilization,” Leo Strauss argued that the characteristically modern notion of “progress” is both empirically and conceptually problematic. Having analyzed the problem with the modern notion of progress, he then suggested that his readers ought to consider a return to “premodern” ways of thought. In calling for such a return, Strauss appeared to be an incredible reactionary. However, examining the type of “return” Strauss proposed as well as the reasons he gave for proposing it shows that the “return” consists as much, if not more, in a new understanding of both of the “roots” of Western civilization: biblical morality and ancient Greek rationalism. Why did Strauss think such a return was needed? Why not just continue on as we are? Recognizing the “progressive” prejudices of his American audience, Strauss began his essay by noting that the evidence of progress was questionable, especially with regard to human beings themselves. But then he broadened the scope of his inquiry greatly by suggesting that the belief in progress itself involves a fundamentally contradictory combination of ideas drawn from the two “roots” of Western civilization, ancient rationalism and biblical morality. Indeed, he observed, the entire history of Western civilization appears to consist in a series of attempts to harmonize, if not synthesize, these essentially conflicting roots. However, because ancient philosophy is fundamentally incompatible with belief in the Creator God, these attempts necessarily failed.