Political philosopher Strauss focus of Olin Center series

An examination of the work of political philosopher and former University faculty member Leo Strauss will be the focus of this year's lecture series organized by the John M. Olin Center for Inquiry Into the Theory and Practice of Democracy. All lectures will be held on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in Social Sciences 122.

Seth Benardete (A.B.'49, M.A.'53, Ph.D.'55), a professor of classics at New York University, will open the series "The Legacy of Leo Strauss" with the lecture "Leo Strauss on Plato" on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Benardete, who received his degrees in the Committee on Social Thought, has published four books on Plato and numerous articles on the Greek classics.

The series will continue on Nov. 3, with a lecture by Hillel Fradkin, Visiting Professor in the Committee on Social Thought from 1987 to 1993, who will talk about Strauss and the study of Maimonides. On Nov. 10, Wilson Carey McWilliams, professor of political science at Rutgers and author of "The Idea of Fraternity in America," will discuss Strauss and the study of the founding of the United States.

Strauss, a member of the faculty from 1959 to 1967, was the Robert M. Hutchins Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science. Among his many influential books on political philosophy are "Natural Right and History," "Persecution and the Art of Writing," "Thoughts on Machiavelli," and "On Tyranny."