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10
ModernityandWhatHasBeenLost
rusalemandsharpeningtheircontours,Strausssucceedsinputtingintofocusthe
groundsofouraction,orinotherwords,thequestion,"Whoistobeobeyed?”
whenitcomestoleadingone’slife.However,thereismuchmoretoitthanthat.
StraussnotonlyrecallsthemostimportantWesternalternativeconcerningthe
wayoflife;thewayhedoesitseemstoinvolveaclaimthattheverypossibilityof
raisingthatquestiondependsontheexistenceofgenuinelypossibleoptionsoral-
ternatives.Werethistensiontodisappearcompletely,thequestion"Howtolive?”
wouldloseitsurgency.InthissenseonecansaythatStrauss’sapprehensioncon-
cerningmodernitycorrespondssomehowtothatformulatedbyNietzsche.Inthe
PrefacetoBeyondGoodandEvilNietzschewrotethat"thesplendidtensionin
thespirit,somethingunlikeanythingexistingonearthbefore”aroseasaconse-
quenceof"thefightagainstthethousandsofyearsofpressurefromtheChristian
church.”Accordingtohimtherehavebeentwoattempts"inthegrandstyle”to
unboundthestringandeasethespirit’stension:JesuitismandtheDemocraticEn-
lightenment.Heaversthatthefreespirits,whoareneitherJesuitsnorDemocrats,
stillhave"theneed,theentirespiritualneed,andthetotaltensionofitsbow.”
WithoutattemptingtowriteStraussintotheNietzscheanvocabularyorevenphi-
losophy,onecanjustlysaythatStraussunderstandsthecrucialroleplayedbythis
tensionofthespirit.ForiftheWestowesitsvitalitytotheantagonismbetween
AthensandJerusalem,philosophyorthephilosophicwayoflifeisinneedof
self-assertionandrationaljustificationinthefaceofitsmostseriouscompetitor,
namelythelifebaseduponrecognizingthesupremeauthorityoftheRevelation.
Whileanydesiretostayconfinedwithinafaithprovesfataltoanyphilosophy,
beingconfrontedwithfaithprovesultimatelysalutarytophilosophy.AsStrauss
concludes,"Noonecanbebothaphilosopherandatheologian,nor,forthatmat-
ter,somepossibilitywhichtranscendstheconflictbetweenphilosophyandtheol-
ogy,orpretendstobeasynthesisofboth.Buteveryoneofuscanbeandought
tobeeitheroneortheother,thephilosopheropentothechallengeoftheologyor
thetheologianopentothechallengeofphilosophy.”
ThedefenseofphilosophymaybejudgedasStrauss’smajorintellectualtask.
Thelifehelivedandthebooksheleftmayprovidestrongevidenceforanswer-
ingthequestionregardingtheverypossibilityofthephilosophiclifetodayin
theaffirmative.Butwhatarethemostcharacteristicfeaturesofthephilosophic
life?Strauss,ascanbelearnedfromthepresentvolume,studiedbothphilosophy
andpoetry.Thelattersometimeshastheabilitytovoicesomethingessentialthat
searchesdeeperthansomeelaborateenunciations.Wecannothererefrainfrom
lettingpoetryspeakaboutphilosophyinthisrespect.Itwouldnotbepresumptu-
oustosuggestthatapoembyZbigniewHerbert,oneofthemostimportantPolish
authorslivingintheageofthecommunistrule,beautifullydepictstheidealof
philosophiclifethathadbeenhelddearbyStrauss:
