Submitted by Peter, Jul 2, 2007 18:13

I too have read (and continue to read) Leo Strauss for many years and feel that the comment by Ingrid Anderson is right on. I would add however that, quite frankly, because of the alluded to complexity of Strausss's writings that I believe the majority of people who have read him simply do not understand him. It takes a great deal of effort and patience to digest what it is he is saying and I have a hard time believing that the majority - not all, but the majority - of people who "review" his work are doing so after putting in the requisite effort and patience to do so accurately. Most I think have simply already made their mind up when getting into his work which predisposees them to ripping "key" phrases out of their proper context which, again, even to understand requires a pretty extensive background in both history and philosophy. This is a trademark of the current "information-misinformation age" in which we live where the media / internat soundbite has replaced the book and careful reading I'm afraid.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.