MODERNITY AND TYRANNY IN LEO STRAUSS’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

According to Leo Strauss, modern political science has been in serious difficulty to understand and explain the phenomenon of tyranny. To overcome thistrouble, Strauss recommends returning to the classical political philosophy. Accordingly, this return enables us to realize that far from being a phenomenon of previous ages, tyranny is a human condition that is still with us. Looking at Strauss’s views on modernity from this perspective also makes visible the subterranean links between modernity and tyranny. This study has three sections. In the first one, it will focus on the link between modernity and tyranny with the help of Strauss’s critique of modernity. In the second, it will dealt with the practical side of this link, paying special attention to the concepts of exception and emergency. In the last one, we will deal with the issue of consent of subject within the context of “end of history” and techno-scientific authority.

Keywords

• Authority,Classical Political Philosophy,Leo Strauss,Modernity,Tyranny

MODERNİTE VE TİRANLIK: LEO STRAUSS’UN MODERNİTE ELEŞTİRİSİNDE TİRANLIK BOYUTU

Öz

Çalışmamızda Leo Strauss’un modernite eleştirisi ile tiranlık okumalarını aynı bağlam içinde değerlendirmeyi amaçladık. Strauss’un çok boyutlu olan modernite eleştirisindeki tiranlık boyutunu göstermeye çalıştık. Strauss için, modern siyaset felsefesi, tiranlığı anlamak ve açıklamak konusunda büyük bir zafiyet içerisindedir. Bu zafiyeti aşmanın yolu, Strauss’a göre, klasik siyaset felsefesinin öğretilerini büyük bir ciddiyetle tekrardan ele almaktan geçmektedir. Bu yapıldığı takdirde, tiranlığın tarihin derinliklerinde kalmış bir vakıa ve müessese olmadığı ve modernite ile birlikte çok daha sofistike ve teknik bir hale gelmiş olduğu ortaya çıkacaktır. Dahası, modernite ile tiranlık arasındaki örtük ontolojik ve epistemolojik bağları fark edebilmek mümkün hale gelecektir. Strauss’un modernite eleştirisindeki tiranlık boyutunu ele alan çalışmamız üç kısımdan oluşmaktadır. Birinci kısımda, Strauss’un bakış açısından, modernite ve tiranlık arasındaki irtibat ortaya konulmaya çalışılacaktır. İkinci kısımda, modernite ile tiranlık arasındaki ilişki somutlaştırılmaya çalışılacak, bu doğrultuda, modernite ile olağanüstü hal ve istisna arasındaki ilişki incelenecektir. Üçüncü kısımda, özne ve rıza ilişkisi, tarihin sonu ve modern tekno-bilimsel iktidar bağlamında ele alınacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Klasik Siyaset Felsefesi,Leo Strauss,Modernite,Otorite,Tiranlık

Kaynakça

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