Persecution and the art of writing
by Leo Strauss · first published 1952
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Related: Persecution and the Art of Writing, short and very sweet. https://ia600407.us.archive.org/32/items/LeoStraussOnEsoteri...
on “On the Pedagogical Motive for Esoteric Writing (2007)” ↗Leo Strauss wrote "Persecution and the Art of Writing" where he argued, among other things, that many ancient and early-modern writers would hide their true beliefs in their works underneath all of the publicly acceptable stuff. This has implications for…
on “Did David Hume retract 2 essays on immorality to avoid religious controversy?” ↗…classic technique of re-interpreting accepted texts to mean what you want, as a way of making your point while appearing to 'stay the course'. I think Strauss described and practiced this very well in "Persecution and the Art of Writing".[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_and_the_Art_of_Wri...
on “Xi Jinping’s War on Spontaneous Order” ↗…mid-century writers like Hemingway. You will frequently see Tyler Cowen call out “Straussian” prose. Strauss suggested that original ideas could rarely be said simply. Wiki: > In 1952 he [Strauss] published Persecution and the Art of Writing, arguing that serious writers write esoterically, that is, with multiple or layered meanings, often disguised within irony or paradox, obscure references, even deliberate self-contradiction.
on “Bertrand Russell Is the Pope (2010)” ↗