The German-American political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899-1973), in his masterpiece Natural Right and History (1953), states that «To say that power as such is evil or corrupting would therefore amount to saying that virtue is evil or corrupting. While some men are corrupted by wielding power, others are improved by it: “power will show a man”». This contribution aims to defend the thesis that here Strauss is critically contrasting a proverb belonging to the classical tradition with the well-known statements about power of two 19th-century historians, namely Jacob Burckhardt and Lord Acton. In fact, the Swiss historian wrote in his Weltgeschichtliche Betrachtungen that «die Macht ist an sich böse»; while the English historian wrote, in a letter to the Anglican Mandell Creighton, that «Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely». These two statements took on a life of their own and are often quoted out of context. The purpose of this contribution is to contextualize the three statements about power and explore the underlying philosophical premises regarding the relationship between power, corruption, evil, and virtue. I will proceed in four steps. In the first part, I will contextualize the ancient statement that Aristotle attributes to Bias of Priene (ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν) within Strauss’s account of classic natural right. In the second part, I will contextualize Burckhardt’s statement, with particular attention to his ancient and modern sources. In the third part, I will do the same with Lord Acton’s statement and focus on the role played by his Catholic faith in the genesis of his teaching about power. In the fourth part, I will try to draw some conclusive remarks and suggest that the three thinkers have a different understanding of human nature.
Il potere rivela o corrompe? Leo Strauss contra Jacob Burckhardt e Lord Acton
Marco Menon
2024-01-01
Abstract
The German-American political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899-1973), in his masterpiece Natural Right and History (1953), states that «To say that power as such is evil or corrupting would therefore amount to saying that virtue is evil or corrupting. While some men are corrupted by wielding power, others are improved by it: “power will show a man”». This contribution aims to defend the thesis that here Strauss is critically contrasting a proverb belonging to the classical tradition with the well-known statements about power of two 19th-century historians, namely Jacob Burckhardt and Lord Acton. In fact, the Swiss historian wrote in his Weltgeschichtliche Betrachtungen that «die Macht ist an sich böse»; while the English historian wrote, in a letter to the Anglican Mandell Creighton, that «Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely». These two statements took on a life of their own and are often quoted out of context. The purpose of this contribution is to contextualize the three statements about power and explore the underlying philosophical premises regarding the relationship between power, corruption, evil, and virtue. I will proceed in four steps. In the first part, I will contextualize the ancient statement that Aristotle attributes to Bias of Priene (ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν) within Strauss’s account of classic natural right. In the second part, I will contextualize Burckhardt’s statement, with particular attention to his ancient and modern sources. In the third part, I will do the same with Lord Acton’s statement and focus on the role played by his Catholic faith in the genesis of his teaching about power. In the fourth part, I will try to draw some conclusive remarks and suggest that the three thinkers have a different understanding of human nature.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
