This useful book explores, and defends, Hegel’s political philosophy in response to Leo Strauss’s critique of Hegel’s defense of modernity. The authors have some sympathy for Strauss’s critique of modernity, but they argue that Hegel anticipated Strauss’s reservations about modernity, and they agree with Hegel, contra Strauss, that virtue and freedom can be reconciled.

The Review of Politics

Craig and MacDonald have given an impressive defense of Hegel and of modern life. In particular, they respond to Leo Strauss's critique of Hegel and his preference for ancient political thought, demonstrating that Hegel properly understood many of the concerns that underlie Strauss's turn to the ancients. With great detail and subtlety, the authors show the extent to which Strauss is influenced by Kojeve's interpretation of Hegel as a secular thinker. Not only does Hegel evade Strauss's criticisms, they argue, but he also gives a better defense than Strauss of political life as well as philosophy. The authors write with clarity and grace. Their book should be read and pondered by anyone who cares about the modern world, the relation between faith and reason, and humanity's prospects for the future.

Mary Nichols, Baylor University

Craig and MacDonald reopen the now over fifty year old debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojeve, which found expression in the collaborative volume On Tyranny. Unlike almost all who are interested in this quarrel, these authors seek to vindicate the Kojevian, or rather the Hegelian, side of the dispute: their chief approach is to deny that Kojeve can rightly speak for Hegel. Strauss, they argue, may have the best of Kojeve, but he does not have the best of the authentic Hegel, for he ignores the theological and metaphysical foundations of Hegelian thought. With Hegel in hand the authors attempt to vindicate modernity from Strauss’s famous critique. This is a challenging and rewarding interpretation both for those who lean toward Strauss and those who lean toward Kojeve in this debate.

Michael Zuckert, University of Notre Dame