Table Of ContentLeo Strauss in Northeast Asia
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, challeng-
ing 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.
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 polit-
ical thought, history of political thought, and international political thought.
Political Theories in East Asian Context
Series Editor: Jun-Hyeok Kwak
Political Theories in East Asian Context aims to shed light on the essential theor-
etical issues spanning East Asia by situating them within cross-cultural frame-
works that attend both to the particularity of East Asia as well as the potentially
universal patterns arising from East Asia’s current issues that can be studied for
the global prosperity. It reconsiders issues like historical reconciliation, national-
ism, multicultural coexistence, political leadership, republicanism, and regional
integration, with a view to opening the discourse of particular issues to a wider
theoretical horizon. Including intellectuals in the field of political science,
history, ethnic studies, sociology, and regional studies, this interdisciplinary
endeavour is a deliberative forum in which we can reflect on ethical problems
facing East Asia in the global era.
1 Inherited Responsibility and Historical Reconciliation in East Asia
Edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Melissa Nobles
2 Patriotism in East Asia
Edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Koichiro Matsuda
3 Worlding Multiculturalisms
The Politics of Inter-Asian Dwelling
Edited by Daniel P. S. Goh
4 Republicanism in Northeast Asia
Edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Leigh Jenco
5 Religion and Nationalism in Asia
Edited by Giorgio Shani and Takashi Kibe
6 Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia
Edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Sungwoo Park
Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia
Edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak and
Sungwoo Park
First published 2020
by Routledge
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© 2020 selection and editorial matter, Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Sungwoo
Park; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Jun-Hyeok Kwak and Sungwoo Park to be identified as the
authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kwak, Chun-hyŏk, editor.
Title: Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia / edited by Jun-Hyeok Kwak
and Sungwoo Park.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2019. | Series: Political theories in
East Asian context | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019031764 (print) | LCCN 2019031765 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367210977 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429265358 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780429555909 (ebook) | ISBN 9780429564840 (mobi) |
ISBN 9780429560378 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Strauss, Leo–Influence. | Political science–Asia–Philosophy.
Classification: LCC B945.S84 L448 2019 (print) |
LCC B945.S84 (ebook) | DDC 320.092–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019031764
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019031765
ISBN: 978-0-367-21097-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-26535-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
To the memory of Shozo Iijima
Contents
Notes on contributors ix
Acknowledgments xii
PART I
General overview 1
1 Introduction: the reception of Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia 3
JUN-HYEOK KWAK
PART II
Leo Strauss across culture 13
2 Leo Strauss and the problems of political philosophy: a brief
survey 15
NATHAN TARCOV
3 Leo Strauss and the East–West dialogue 40
HAIG PATAPAN
PART III
The places of Leo Strauss in Northeast Asia 53
4 Studies on Leo Strauss in Japanese academia 55
SHOZO IIJIMA
5 Beyond left and right: Leo Strauss in China 81
MINGKUN LI
viii Contents
6 A review of Korean studies on Leo Strauss 97
YONG-MIN KIM
7 Leo Strauss and ancient Chinese wisdom: an
encounter not yet actuated 109
SHIQI TANG
PART IV
Leo Strauss and Northeast Asia 131
8 Leo Strauss, China, and political utopianism 133
JIANHONG CHEN
9 Leo Strauss’s interpretation of the Republic
reconsidered: limits of politics in South Korea 148
SUNGWOO PARK
10 Civilization, morality, and pluralism: a Straussian
perspective on Japanese modernity 164
TAKASHI KIBE
11 Reading Leo Strauss in postmodern East Asia: to confront
contemporary tyranny 180
YOSHIHIKO ISHIZAKI
Index 200
Contributors
Jianhong Chen received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the Catholic University
of Leuven, Belgium, in 2006. He taught philosophy at Nankai University,
Tianjin, China, from 2006 to 2015, and currently is Professor and Dean of the
Department of Philosophy (Zhuhai Campus) of Sun Yat-sen University,
China. He has published widely on topics in political philosophy and reli-
gious studies, with a particular focus on Leo Strauss, both in English and
Chinese.
Takashi Kibe is Professor of Political Science at International Christian Univer-
sity. He has a doctor’s degree from the University of Tübingen. His research
interests are egalitarianism, multiculturalism, citizenship, liberalism, philo-
sophy of social sciences, and history of political thought, especially early
modern political theory. He is the author of Frieden und Erziehung in Martin
Luthers Drei-Stände-Lehre (Peter Lang 1996). His recent publications include
“Differentiated Citizenship and Ethnocultural Groups: A Japanese Case,”
Citizenship Studies (2006) and “The Relational Approach to Egalitarian
Justice: A Critique of Luck Egalitarianism,” Critical Review of International
Social and Political Philosophy (2011).
Yong-Min Kim is Professor of Political Science at Hankuk Univerisity of
Foreign Studies and have served as Dean of Social Sciences. He teaches
ancient, modern, and contemporary history of political philosophy. He
received his Ph.D. from The University of Chicago in 1993. He was a visiting
scholar at University of British Columbia in 2002, and at The University of
Chicago in 2010. He published Rousseau’s Political Philosophy (( Ingansarang
2004), and co-authored such books as History of Modern Political Thought
(Bookworld 2007) and History of Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy
(Bookworld 2011). His publication in English includes “A Study on the
Acceptance of Rousseau’s Thought and Current Research in Korea,” in Con-
temporary Korean Political Thought (Lexington Books 2014). Recently, he
published Cicero’s Philosophy For Justice and Happiness (H anulbooks 2018).
Jun-Hyeok Kwak is 100 Talented Professor of Philosophy (Zhuhai) at Sun Yat-
sen University in China. He received his Ph.D from The University of C hicago
