Leo Strauss e o reavivamento da Filosofia Política pela via fenomenológica de Edmund Husserl

Abstract

In this investigation, I intend to show that the political philosophy developed by Leo Strauss bears the influence of central aspects of the phenomenology elaborated by Edmund Husserl. To this end, I will analyze points of convergence between Strauss and Husserl to demonstrate that Strauss appropriates both the concept of the “lifeworld” (Lebenswelt), outlined by Husserl in his Die Krisis, and the proposal for a renewal of philosophy present in Husserl’s call for philosophy as a rigorous science. Both aspects of Husserl's phenomenology appear to impact Strauss decisively in his pursuit of a natural way of philosophizing, characteristic of the thought of the ancients. Indeed, I will also attempt to show that the young Strauss's encounter with Husserl during his studies in Freiburg was a formative milestone. This encounter exposed him to the phenomenological critique of modern sciences and the demand for a deeper philosophical foundation, which led Strauss to reject the positivism and historicism that dominated the intellectual landscape of his time. Having presented this, I will seek to support the hypothesis that Husserl’s call for philosophy as a rigorous science is reinterpreted by Strauss as a seminal issue for the revitalization of political philosophy in its normative essence, focused on fundamental questions such as the best regime or the best way to live. Thus, the critical dialogue with Husserl, initiated during this formative period and continued through Husserl’s posthumous works, allows Strauss to redefine the objectives of political philosophy as a timeless pursuit of what is good and right by nature, as opposed to the relativist approaches of modernity. In this way, through the analysis of texts, lectures, and letters, I conclude that Strauss's encounter with Husserl and phenomenology provided him not only with a methodological foundation but also with a critical inspiration to reestablish political philosophy as a central discipline for understanding human experience and social order.