Leo Strauss and the “Analogy of the Wise Man”

Within the scholarship on Leo Strauss and the theological-political problem, a notable interpretive approach suggests that the fundamental dichotomy between the ways of life symbolized by Athens and Jerusalem might be resolved through argumentation. However, scholars disagree on the nature of the argument best suited to address this issue effectively. Among the proposed solutions, the “analogy of the wise man,” framed within a context of hypothetical natural theology, stands out. This analogy, which portrays the wise man as a model for understanding God as the most perfect being, is found in Strauss’s works such as Reason and Revelation (1948/2006), Jerusalem and Athens (1950/2022), and The Mutual Influence of Theology and Philosophy (1954/1979). Additionally, newly published material in Leo Strauss on Plato’s Euthyphro (2023) offers fresh insights into this analogy. This article aims to evaluate the significance, argumentative strength, and dual implications of the analogy of the wise man.