Straussianism

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Straussianism is a political worldview developed by philosopher Leo Strauss. It is a form of political obscurantism, and appears to have been one of the primary inspirations for the emergence of neoconservatism in the early 21st century.

The core of Straussian philosophy is the idea of the noble lie – ancestor of the Big Lie – which argues that society is best ruled by wise elites who can make decisions without interference from non-leaders, and therefore it is necessary for supporters of the government to invent believable myths by which to justify and rally support for the actions of the leaders – even knowing that those myths are in fact untrue.

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Links

• Wikipedia redirects to Leo Strauss
• RationalWiki (Neoconservatism: Leo Strauss): The political philosopher Leo Strauss is cited as a founding influence of neoconservatism. Strauss, who had been reading Plato a little too much, mistook that philosopher's Republic for a how-to manual, and actually started believing in such concepts as the "noble lie," by which elites are justified in duping the hoi polloi so long as it is for the common good.