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Editors’Introduction
THEQUESTIONOFMODERNITYMEETS
THEQUESTIONOFLEOSTRAUSS
Thepresentvolumeconsistsofelevenchapterscomingfrompapersprepared
byanumberofdifferentscholarsinvitedtoparticipateinaconferenceonthe
legacyofLeoStrauss.TheconferencewasheldattheJagiellonianUniversityin
Krakow,Poland,onJune4-5,2009.Thetitleofthisbookisthesameasthetitle
oftheconference.
***
Wearemodernpeople.Wefindourselvesgathered"inthesameboat”moving
towardsahopefullybetterfuture.Ourdestinationmayappeartobeafinalstate,
auniversalandhomogeneousone,wherethemostimportantquestionisfound
toberesolved.Thatisthequestion,"Howtolive?”Itwasbroughttolightand
explicatedbythephilosophersoftheSocratictradition.Theybequeathedtous
sometruthabouthumanityitself,namelyaboutthemanwhoisparticipatingin
aconstantstruggletoanswerthequestion,"Howtolive?”However,insofaras
thequestionprovestobe"infinite,absolute,”itcannotbeansweredinadefinite
way.Thefinalstatemarkingitsfinalresolutionhasinfactnevercomeandisnev-
ertocome,indeed.Butwhatifwearetaught,orlearned,undoubtedlytobelieve
thatitreallyexistsorjustemergesfromthecourseofhistory?Evengrantedthe
Socratictruth,istherestillenoughspacewithinthedomainofhumanityforour
leadingtrulydifferentwaysoflife?Isbeingapoet,oraprophet,nottomention
beingaphilosopherinaverySocraticsense,somethingstillpossibleandacquir-
ableforusmoderns?Isapoliticalsciencestemmingfromthephilosophicand
poeticconsciousnessofthemostimportantquestionstilltobeexercised?
Therehavebeenratherfewauthorscapableofwritingonsuchissues.Cer-
tainlyoneofthemisLeoStrauss.Butheisalsoacontroversialgureintheeyes
ofmanyscholarsandreaderswhooftenhearofhimasafounderofamysterious
sectoranintellectual"godfatheroftheneoconservativemovement.”Tobesure,
whatcannotbeforgottenisthatduringhislifetimeStrausswasrelativelyneglect-