The Origins of Political Science (Part 1)

This lecture discusses the triumph of rationalism and its limitations, exploring the relationship between theory and practice, and examining the concept of universal law and its implications for human society. The speaker also touches on the idea of a perfect city and the role of justice and morality in human affairs.

1. 0:00 — Rationalism And Its Limits
2. 44:17 — Understanding Through Experience
3. 1:33:41 — Moral And Political Knowledge
4. 2:19:59 — Disproportion And Injustice
5. 3:06:03 — Intelligence And Indulgence
6. 3:51:30 — Universal Law And Morality
7. 4:40:06 — Politics And Contemporary Issues
8. 5:24:53 — Ideal Things And Natural Law
9. 6:10:47 — Moral Beings And Absolute Rulers
10. 6:58:16 — The Perfect City And Its Possibility
11. 7:43:13 — Beating The Father And Moral Questions
12. 8:29:32 — Heavenly Language And Heroic Motivation
13. 9:16:51 — Judging Human Mentality And Health
14. 10:03:24 — Justice And Morality In Human Society

The Origins of Political Science (Part 1)

Leo Strauss — 17 recordings in the archive.

The book: The City and Man by Leo Strauss.

Provenance: University of Chicago · seminar recordings.

Next: The Origins of Political Science (Part 2)

If we start from our situations today which affects all political matters as well as all thinking about political matter we can say that we are the contemporaries of the greatest Triumph of rationalism and at the same time we are more aware more obviously aware of the hollowness of the triumph the original project of that rationalism was this man's Universal and Lasting happens should be brought about by the conquest of nature by the production of abundance and all its implications that is still around and by no means insignificant but to speak only of the most obvious levels the awareness is today more common that abundance and its implication and freedom and all the other things are not sufficient to solve the problem of the individual but here modern man has developed a supplement to the political and social arrangements and that is psychology especially in the form of Psych analysis are just as a dissatisfaction with Society or ever however satisfactory Society may be is a lack of adjustment and therefore one is to bring about adjustment by the psychological psychopathological means I mentioned a few other points which illustrates the situation for example there is a project of a science of public administration which claims to bring about a degree of efficiency which pre-scientific Public Health Administration is incapable to achieve in the words of Herbert Simon who is especially responsible for their development the older you when the older thought of africanization is based on a kind of popular wisdom proverbs that has to be replaced by a scientific study of public administration if we look a bit behind this formula we see says a human activity which was traditionally thought to be is fear of Common Sense this is known as the sphere of common sense of practical wisdom of prudence is now to be taken over by science and that is of your General application the distinction between practical wisdom of prudence and science has lost its evidence this has something to do with us with what I said last time about the abolition of the difference between Theory and practice between theoretical sciences and practices Franklin Sciences Were Meant To Be forms of practical wisdom or prudence this distinction has lost its significance substitution of prediction scientific prediction fourth guesses informed cases of experienced men regarded as inferior to genuine predictions…