Natural Right and History

Overview

Natural Right and History, published in 1953 by Leo Strauss, is one of the most influential and controversial works of twentieth-century political philosophy. The book defends the classical tradition of natural right against the modern challenges of historicism, relativism, and positivism. Strauss argues that the modern rejection of natural right has led to a crisis of political philosophy — a loss of the capacity to distinguish between just and unjust regimes, or to provide a rational foundation for moral and political judgment.

The book is structured as a critical history of modern political philosophy. Strauss argues that the modern tradition, beginning with Machiavelli and Hobbes, rejected the classical understanding of natural right in favor of a new approach based on the mastery of nature and the satisfaction of the passions. This rejection, Strauss argues, has led to the relativism and nihilism that characterize modern political thought.

Key Ideas

Strauss's central argument is that the classical tradition of natural right, as developed by Plato and Aristotle, provides a more adequate foundation for political philosophy than the modern alternatives. Classical natural right is based on the idea that there is a natural order of the human good that can be rationally understood, and that the just society is one that conforms to this natural order. The modern tradition, by contrast, denies the existence of a rational standard of justice and reduces right to the expression of will, interest, or historical convention.

Influence

Natural Right and History has been enormously influential in the revival of interest in classical political philosophy and in the development of Straussian political theory. The book has also been the subject of extensive criticism, particularly from defenders of the modern tradition and from those who argue that Strauss's reading of the history of political philosophy is tendentious and selective.

Sources

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Leo Strauss." Comprehensive survey of Strauss's life and thought.
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Natural Law." Survey of the natural law tradition that Strauss defends.