This book analyzes the reception of Leo Strauss and his political philosophy in Northeast Asia. By juxtaposing the central idea of Strauss’s political philosophy with the question of modernity, the contributors explore the eclectic adaptations of Strauss in Northeast Asian countries as a philosophical appropriation across cultures.
Examining how Strauss’s philosophy was first introduced in Northeast Asia, the book sheds light on the similarities and differences in experiences, challenging the dominant approach which attributes various receptions of Strauss in Northeast Asia solely to sociopolitical circumstances. This book also seeks to move beyond a China-centric approach to investigate the possible transcultural appeals of Strauss’s political philosophy by exploring the cases of Japan and South Korea.
Appealing to a wide network of scholars and practitioners in East Asia engaged in rethinking cultural particularities, this volume will be attractive to upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, and advanced researchers in political philosophy, political theory, and Asian politics.
Part 1: General Overview
1. Introduction: Receptions of Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia, Jun-Hyeok Kwak
Part 2: Leo Strauss across Culture
2. Leo Strauss and the Problems of Political Philosophy: A Brief Survey, Nathan Tarcov
3. Leo Strauss and the East-West Dialogue, Haig Patapan
Part 3: The Places of Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia
4. Studies on Leo Strauss in Japanese Academia, Shozo Iijima
5. Beyond Left and Right: Leo Strauss in China, Mingkun Li
6. Leo Strauss, China, and Political Utopianism, Jianhong Chen
7. A Review of Korean Studies on Leo Strauss, Yong-Min Kim
Part 4: Leo Strauss and Northeast Asia
8. Leo Strauss and Ancient Chinese Wisdom, Shiqi Tang
9: Leo Strauss’ Interpretation of the Republic Reconsidered: Limits of Politics in South Korea, Sungwoo Park
10. Civilization, Morality, and Pluralism: A Straussian Perspective on Japanese Modernity, Takashi Kibe
11. Reading Leo Strauss in Postmodern East Asia: To face the contemporary tyranny, Yoshihiko Ishizaki
Biography
Jun-Hyeok Kwak is Professor of the Department of Philosophy (Zhuhai) at Sun Yat-sen University, China. His publications include Republicanism in Northeast Asian Context (Routledge, 2017) and Patriotism in East Asia (Routledge, 2017).
Sungwoo Park is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, Korea. His research interests include classical political thought, history of political thought, and international political thought.
