LEO STRAUSS, CARL SCHMITT AND THE SEARCH FOR THE 'ORDER OF HUMAN THINGS'

Leo Strauss's 'Notes on Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political' are extremely important to understanding both authors. Schmitt, referring to this review essay, once described Strauss as the interpreter who 'had ex-rayed [him] as nobody else had done'. Strauss underlined its importance by calling it the 'first expression' of a 'change of orientation' that radically affected his approach, leading him towards the rediscovery of the classics. This article investigates the key points of Strauss's critique, explaining why he could surprisingly see Schmitt' s position as a 'liberalism with opposite polarity' and what precisely the cornerstone of his 'change of orientation' is.