A conservative, I take it, is a man who despises vulgarity; but the argument which is concerned exclusively with calculations of success, and is based on blindness to the nobility of the effort, is vulgar.
Leo StraussRead
If the highest things are unknowable, then the highest capacity or virtue of man cannot be theoretical wisdom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True wisdom transcends theoretical knowledge and involves higher, unknowable concepts.
In this quote, Leo Strauss suggests that if the most significant truths are beyond human understanding, then the pinnacle of human virtue cannot simply be found in theoretical wisdom. Instead, it implies that real wisdom might lie in recognizing the limits of knowledge and engaging with the profound mysteries of existence.
Themes
WisdomVirtueKnowledgeUnknowablePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical discussion, one might use this quote to emphasize the limitations of human understanding.
More from Leo Strauss
All quotes βNo bloody or unbloody change of society can eradicate the evil in man: as long as there will be men, there will be malice, envy and hatred, and hence there cannot be a society which does not have to employ coercive restraint.
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The silence of a wise man is always meaningful.
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The Jewish people and their fate are the living witness for the absence of redemption. This, one could say, is the meaning of the chosen people; the Jews are chosen to prove the absence of redemption.
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