Leo Strauss: "Exoteric Teaching"

Exoteric

Teaching

Leo Strauss edited by

Kenneth Hart Green

Le

du brave homme

partage

regarder

fixement les deux

n'est qu'un

tain any article, however number of ancient writers

leading

the silence of the

to be

of

ses pensees. religion et

Celui

qui n'ose

le gouvernement,

on exoteric or esoteric.

to numerous, if

while

it is for

not

to decide

teaching is

that distinction

favorable to

Since

possibly be due to the

silence of

on classical

philosophy from attaching

signifi

statements of ancient writers.

whether and where

occurs

a considerable

the distinction in question,

of modern

necessarily correct,

tween exoteric and esoteric

about

which prevents scholars

classical scholars

whether

little to say

not a

(or secret) teaching

for the understanding of the classical antiquity does not con

significance

encyclopedia cannot

scholarship; it is that influence cance

and esoteric

encyclopedia of

brief, had

any

be due to the influence

the sources; it must

not

humaine, la

(or public)

exoteric

leading

thought of the past: the

is

vie

Voltaire

not at present considered

to decide

de la

lache.

The distinction between

is

d'expliquer librement

est

poles

For

the distinction be

in the sources, it is for philosophers in itself. And modern philosophy

significant

an affirmative answer

to this philosophic question. The classi

cal scholar Zeller may have believed himself to have cogent reasons for rejecting the view that Aristotle "designedly chose for his scientific publications a style

This essay was originally written by Leo Strauss in December, 1939. The final typed version, his handwritten corrections, was probably prepared shortly thereafter. It deals primarily with G. E. Lessing (and secondarily with F. Schleiermacher). It was in the immediately preceding years with

that Strauss had made his rediscovery of exotericism, and this of

was no

doubt partly due to his reading Volumes

Lessing in connection with his researches for the Moses Mendelssohn Jubildumsausgabe,

2, 3 Part 1,

and

3 Part

tioned it both in "A

(April, 1970) in the

pp.

2.

Strauss

was

conscious of the

very

Accounts,"

Giving of

1-5),

and

'Vorbemerkung'

debt he

owed

to

Lessing,

and

he

men

3 (The College [Annapolis and Santa Fe] Vol. 22, No. 1 May 28, 1971, to Alexander Altmann (published by him

p.

in his letter

of

to Volume 3 Part 2 of the Moses Mendelssohn Gesammelte Schriften:

Jubildumsausgabe, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Friedrich Frommann [Gunther Holzboog], 1974.) Per haps this essay is the

closest

wanted to write, since mundo',"

and to

be

that "the decisive 'Vorbemerkung,'

Leo Strauss copy:

seph

entitled

we possess

order

'Taking

to the essay which Strauss said in 1971 that he had

to present the

Leave

"Zentrum"

of

Germany.'

of

to

me

today

as

they

Lessing's teaching "'de Deo et Strauss also said

Concerning this intention, then."

points are as clear

were

(Cf. the letter to Altmann in the

following essay was discovered by the present writer in the Archive of the University of Chicago Library (final version: Box 9, Folder 18, and rough loc.

cit., p. viii.)

Box 12, Folder 2),

essay is

thing

1937, in

The

and appears with no changes

Cropsey,

sincere

thanks are

Professor Alexander Altmann is

also

Estate

to the text that

could affect

the meaning.

This

Leo Strauss, to whose executor, Professor Jo due for his kind assistance. The generous interest and assistance of

published with the permission of the

gratefully

of

acknowledged.

K. H. G.

Interpretation

52

have

appeared

be doubted

must

these

whether

to him equally cogent, if he had not been assured

the philosopher Zeller that the

by

mind"; but it

lay

to the

obscure and unintelligible reasons would

rejected view

"attributes to the

philosopher a

very childish sort of mystification, wholly destitute of any reasonable As late as the last third of the eighteenth century, the view that all the

motive."1

had distinguished between their

philosophers was still

by

maintained,

Lessing

united

were

fully

their esoteric

fully

in himself in

qualities of the philosopher and of the scholar.

tion of exotericism clearly and

in three little

teaching

way the so

a unique

He discussed the

writings of

least

understood at

ques

his: in "Leibniz

von

Strafen"

den

ewigen

Dreieinigkeit"

it

exoteric and

implications

essential

Gotthold Ephraim

one man.

divergent

its

and

ancient

as

clearly

cism not

for

all

Falk"

fully as

and as

merely

be done

could

as a strange

times and,

Lessing

short,

(1773), in "Des Andreas Wissowatius Einwiirfe wider die 2 (1773), and in "Ernst und (1777 and 1780). He discussed fact

of

therefore, was the last writer

who

und

a

and sometimes

evasively

and even

constitution,

the

necessary imperfection he

calls

character,

best

rather as an

revealed, wrote

Falk,"

In "Ernst

what

someone who still accepted exoteri

but

guiding his

as a principle

compelling wise men to hide the truth: he writing between the lines. what

by

the past,

literary hiding them,

while

between the lines

Falk,

called

intelligible necessity

own

show that

the reasons

himself every

constitution, is necessarily

political

In

about the art of

who expresses

enigmatically, tries to

activity.3

some

political

imperfect,

the

life making necessary the existence of he does not hesitate to assert that freemasonry,

of all political

freemasonry,

and

is necessary, was always in existence and will always be. Falk himself is a freemason, if a heretical freemason, and in order to be a freemason, a man must which

know truths reason of of

which ought

his

Aristotle

.

and the

concealed.4

that all political life is

view

the good works

1

better to be

of

the

freemasons is

Which is then the imperfect?5

necessarily

to make good works

Earlier Peripatetics (translated

by Costelloe

concealed

The intention

superfluous,6

Muirhead), London,

and

and

1897,

I.I20ff. 2. See Lessing, Werke, eds. Petersen and 138-89 (the two other treatises mentioned (xxiv. 146-53).

von

Olshausen,

above).

vi. 21-60

Compare

Lessing's

3.

exotericism was recognized to a certain extent

Lessings, Leipzig, plications of

Kantian

valuable

pp.

6off.

and 79ff.

remarks, since his

Fittbogen does

interpretation

4.

Wahrheiten,

nicht

not

of

und

Falk")

and xxi.

eine zeitige

by Gottfried Fittbogen,

Die Religion

however

Lessing

see

the most

is based

on a

important im

Kantian

or

post-

the

meaning of philosophy. "falk. Weisst du, Freund, dass du schon

schon

kann

his

view of

1923,

("Ernst

Lessing's "Uber

also

Aufgabe"

sagen,

die

besser besser

man

was er

ein

halber Freimaurer bist?

verschweigt. ernst.

verschweigt"

(Second

Aber doch

sagen

Dialogue, loc.

denn du

kdnnte.

falk

erkennst

ja

Der Weise

cit., p. 31).

In the third dialogue (p. 40), it is explicitly stated that only such shortcomings of even the best political constitution have been explicitly mentioned as are evident even to the most shortsighted eye This implies that there are other shortcomings of political life as such which are not evident to "short 5.

eyes."

sighted

6. First dialogue (at the end)

and third

dialogue (p.

39).

Exoteric

Teaching

freemasonry scientific

being,7

into

came

and political

life,

tice

life to

the speculative truths

"society which

conceived of a

life

ferior to

contemplative

"superfluous"

life,

far

as

facts that

the

as such are

are

The

speculation."8

political

and

with,

sideration of

wise or

to

the

historical,

nation and eternal

von

of political

positive

higher. Con

fundamental

(i.e. the truths. It

that the variety of reli

und

constitutions:9

religion) is

is self-sufficient, is

"freemasons"

why the

the religious problem (i.e.

considered

den

Strafen"

ewigen

by him

as part and par

the belief in

is identical

speech."11

While

states

with

"what

philosophers made use of

an esoteric

manner; he

bids

also

Leibniz'

exotericism?

sons which guided

Lessing's first to received

do in their

sort

The

us

answer

exoteric speech.

He

with

is

other

between the

way

of

of the

belief

assenting to re to do in

not

only

asserts

that all

teaching, of an exoteric essential features of

"what

and

Leibniz'

What, then,

are

the essential fea

what are

the

motives and rea

words,

the

of

orthodox or received

opinion?12

Leibniz'

peculiar

all

have become

the ancient

much

has then

an outcome of prudence.

contradiction

defense

dam

philosophers used

observed a sort of prudence

exoteric and esoteric speech

that it

ancients.

to this question is that

is identical

opinions

the ancient

to trace back all

Or, in

which

eternal

manners of

Leibniz in his defense

our most recent philosophers

between

peculiar

two

to the exotericism of the

exotericism

Leibniz'

making that statement, he

By

the ancient

explicit

reasons

Leibniz'

all

The

applies

motives and

beliefs (the belief in

defending

that

Lessing

attitude toward religion.

certain orthodox

trinity).10

damnation, Lessing

their exoteric

tures of

"Wissowatius,"

in

and Leibniz'

these two little treatises is to discuss "the

ceived opinions

7.

which

Falk"

in "Ernst

points out

had induced Leibniz to defend

any

of

bound from time to time to

requirements of the

ultimate reason

to an explanation of

views

purpose of

in

imperfection

life is essentially in

the political problem.

In "Leibniz these

life,

are

the men of contemplation) must conceal certain

problem of

cel of

lower

in practice, the

is the

may be added that Lessing gions is due to the variety

prac

that all works, and therefore also all good works,

or

supersede

that conflict

itself from the

concealed reasons of the

all practical or political

reached, and that the requirements of the conflict

should raise

the level of theoretical

as

originally had planned a useful for practical

when someone who

which should make

society

of civil

53

so

too

way

of

assenting

philosophers used

to

for which, it is true, The distinction

wise."13

little to do

Somewhat later

"mysticism"

with on

of

Lessing indicates

beginning that freemasonry is always in freemasonry came into being at the beginning that freemasonry is an ambiguous term.

statement made at

the

existence and the statement made toward the end that of

the eighteenth century enables

8. Fifth dialogue (toward the 9.

Second dialogue (pp.

10.

Werke,

11. 12.

Loc. cit., 147. Cf. loc. cit., 146.

13.

Loc. cit.,

343b4-5-

xxi.

143

147.

us

to see

end).

34ff.).

and 181.

Cf. Plato, Theaetetus,

l8oc7-d5,

with

Protagoras, 316C5-317C5

and

Interpretation

54

the difference between the esoteric

dox doctrine

fense

of eternal

possibility

of

That

frighten

been

with

who makes an exoteric call

"a

since

it

the mere goes

this conception although it concerns

should

can

on

beings. And then he

reason raise

have to

the question: why this

expect

counterques-

only be frightful to him who has never This implies that a philosopher

himself."

statement, asserts,

not a

fact, but

what

Lessing chooses to

he does not, strictly speaking, believe in the truth of (e.g. of the statement that there is such a thing as eternally increas

mere possibility":

that statement

ing

it,

For I

the betterment of

earnest about

at

however for that

with a mere possibility?

tion: why not

reason, he asserts, is based

increasing humanity shudders

true,

enabling Leibniz to defend the ortho expressed in his de

the exoteric reason

wickedness of moral

the mere possibility. I should not

frighten

and

exoteric

eternally

to say: "It is

on

damnation,

doctrine.14

that

of

reason

wickedness of

human beings

ishments). This is indicated quotation

from the final

which would

in the

by Lessing

Plato's Gorgias: "Socrates himself believed in

part of

such eternal punishments quite

justify eternally increasing pun following remark introducing a

seriously, he believed in them

at

least to the

ex

tent that he considered it expedient to teach such punishments in terms which do

in any way arouse suspicion and which are most Before proceeding any further, I must summarize Lessing's

explicit."15

not

teaching. To avoid the danger of arbitrary of

that view which are not noticed at a

reader of

Lessing,

although

somewhat enigmatic, Leibniz16

its

facts, but

(2) The

of mere possibilities.

statements.

the

truth,

as

exoteric presentation of the

by

(3) Exoteric

statements

the esoteric

(i.e.

teaching)

are certain

is

distinguished from truth

makes use of

truths

not of

such statements as

are made

(4) Some

to morally inferior people who ought to be

(5) There

by itself,

the philosopher himself statements,

reasons of prudence or expediency.

are addressed

the most superficial

asserts that all the ancient philosophers and

would not and could not occur within

losopher for

by

glance even

made use of exoteric presentation of

statements which are considered

by the phi

exoteric statements

frightened

by

such

be

concealed. (6) Even the is bound to be imperfect. (7) Theoretical life is superior life. The impression created by this summary, that there which must

political constitution

to practical

is

first

view of exoteric

shall omit all elements

the obvious part of his view, if taken

(i) Lessing

esoteric presentation.

best

interpretation, I

or political

a close connection

and practical

truths, litical life. cret

Some

life,

owes

its

between

Loc. cit., Loc. cit.,

16.

In

exotericism and a peculiar attitude toward political

not misleading: existence to the

readers might

15.

14.

is

"freemasonry,"

which as such

necessary imperfection

be inclined to dismiss Lessing's

knows

of se

of all practical or po

whole

teaching

at

once,

I53ff. "believing"

Cf. also the remarks about on pp. 184, 187 and 189. conversation, published only after his death, Lessing said to F. H. Jacobi about Leibniz: "Es ist bei dem grossten Scharfsinn oft sehr schwer, seine eigentliche zu entdecken."

160.

a private

(Werke,

Meinung

xxiv. 173).

Exoteric it

since

To

that

warn such

of a

to be based on the

seems

assumption

55

Teaching all

the ancient

For he knew the

Lessing,

who

Pure Reason, the

passages

deserve the

which

died in the

in

year

Kant

question of exotericism seems

scholarship is

still

dialogues

had to discuss in detail the

an exoteric

important

kind

to have been lost

sight of almost

he failed to

the same

knowledge,

teaching

which

the perfectly trained

teaching which

been

never

He

surpassed or even

in the dialogues

degrees

student of

student

exoteric and esoteric

there

although

inadequately,

understands adequately.

the beginner actually understands, identical

which

since.

Yet

is,

so

actually

teaching had

understands?

and which

only But is then the

with

the

teaching

The distinction between

been traced back to Plato's

sometimes

to the necessity in

religion"

opposition

to "polytheism and

found himself

by

this view read

hiding

of

and

popular

that opposition; Schleiermacher believes

asserting that "Plato's

to

the understanding of that teaching: it is

of

Plato

rivalled

that there is only one Platonic

asserts

the beginner understands

the perfectly trained

Plato's

there are two kinds of Platonic teaching,

doing this, he made five or six extremely Plato's literary devices,19 remarks the subtlety

presented

number of

nov

Platonic studies, in which is based on the identification of

style of

In

crucial question.

teaching

infinite

an

speak,

see the

the

teaching

remarks about

to my

distinguished from

as

the sequence of their elaboration, he

with

view that

and an esoteric one.

true

and

has,

of which

the

his Critique of

and which

engaged,

the natural order of Platonic still

was

published

which

When Schleiermacher introduced that

classical

writers

name of philoso

it is indicated that it

completely, at least among scholars and philosophers elists.

sentence permits

denies that

Lessing implicitly

in Plato in

speeches.

to conceal the truth.

sophists who refused

After

interpretation:

topics who reject exotericism,

on philosophical phers.18

that the incriminated

one must point out

readers,

unobjectionable

wholly

traditional,17

obviously erroneous, or merely philosophers have made use of exoteric

that topic are

principles on

which

he has

he

refuted

clear enough

to

in his writings, so that one can scarcely believe that his pupils might have information about Yet, "polytheism and popular reli had used the less ambigu Schleiermacher if expression: is an ambiguous them."20

needed still more gion"

Athens,"

ous

"belief in the

could not

his

have

writings.

said

As

the gods

existence of

that Plato's

a matter of

Apology of Socrates, he

worshipped

by

to that belief is clearly expressed in in his introduction to his translation of Plato's

fact,

it "a

weak point of

that writing that Plato has

not made a more energetic use of the argument taken

Apollo, for

refuting the

that Socrates

17.

Compare Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata,

18.

Cf

.

,

for

a similar example of

Inhalts VII (Werke,

he

opposition

considers

charge

the city of

Lessing's way

v. 58 of

did

not

(365

from

Socrates'

believe in the

service old

Stahlin).

expressing himself, his Briefe

antiquarischen

xvil.97ff.).

19.

F. Schleiermacher, Platons Werke,

20.

Loc.

21.

Platons Werke, 1.2, Berlin, 1805,

cit., 14. 3rded.,

Berlin,

1.

1855, p.

1,

Berlin, 1804,

p. 20.

3rded., Berlin, 1855,

p. 12.

185. 3rd ed.,

to

gods."21

Berlin,

1855,

p. 128.

p. 16.

Interpretation

56

If Plato's Socrates believed in "the believed in them "polytheism

And how

is

not

Plato himself likely to have

then say that Plato's opposition to

can one

is clearly expressed in his writings? distinction of two teachings of

religion"

and popular

Schleiermacher'

Plato

as well?

gods,"

old

to be his

appears

as such

s strongest argument against the

that Plato's

assertion

investigations

real

hidden,

are

not

or that attention is the only pre full understanding of his real investigations as distinguished from former.22 of the But did any those investigations which are merely the

absolutely, but only from the inattentive readers,

for

requisite

a

"skin"

in his

man

senses ever assert that

from

readers or weight

in this

than that

all men?

Plato

Did any

teaching

his dialogues

esoteric

which escapes

teaching from all

secret

judgment

Plato's

by

hide his

to

man whose

matter ever understand

of

wished

to carry any

can claim

teaching anything

other

the inattentive readers only?

The only possible difference of opinion concerns exclusively the meaning of the distinction between inattentive and attentive readers: does a continuous way lead

from the extremely inattentive reader to the extremely attentive reader, or is the way between the two extremes interrupted by a chasm? Schleiermacher tacitly assumes

that the way from the

Plato, philosophy

cording to

the attitude of the

with

left the cave, who (if he is not

moment

and

"the islands opher

whereas

a man who

i.e.

has

a

total break

not yet

for

left the

one

cave

to do otherwise) lives outside of the cave, on The difference between the beginner and the philos

compelled

difference

a

conversion,23

the philosopher is the man who has

(for the perfectly trained

philosopher) is

to the end is continuous, whereas, ac

beginner: the beginner is

blessed."

the

of

beginning

presupposes a real

student of

not of

Plato is

degree, but

of

no one else

but the

kind. Now, it is

genuine

well-known

that, according to Plato, virtue is knowledge or science; therefore, the beginner is inferior to the perfectly trained student of Plato not only intellectually, but also morally.

That is to say, the morality

different from the basis

on which

tue is not genuine virtue,

insight, but

but

on customs or

the morality of the "guardians."

the

believe "noble

of

has

a

basis essentially

the philosophers

vulgar or political virtue

only,

rests: their vir

a virtue

based

not on

laws.24

"auxiliaries"

Now,

the beginners

of

the morality

We may say, the morality of the beginners is of the Republic, but not yet the morality of the the best among whom are the beginners,

"auxiliaries,"

lies,"25

i.e. statements which, while being useful for the po litical community, are nevertheless lies. And there is a difference not of degree but of kind between truth and lie or untruth. And what holds true of the difference between truth and lies holds equally true of the difference between exoteric and must

22.

"Das

geheime

wird mit einer

chung Haut iiberkleidet, eigentlich soil

innern 23. 24. 25.

.

(ist)

.

anderen,

dem

welche

beobachtet

nur

beziehungsweise

nicht wie mit einem

Unaufmerksamen,

oder gefunden

Zusammenhang

so

.

.

Schleier,

i.i, 12.

.

4l4b4ff.

die

Cf. Laws 663d6ff.

eigentliche Untersu-

diesem, dasjenige

Aufmerksamen

aber nur noch

lautert."

scharft und Loc. cit., 20 (the italics are Republic 5i8c-e, 52ie, and 6i9c-d. Cf. also Phaedo 69a-c. Republic 430C3-5 and Phaedo 82aio-b8.

Republic

.

sondern wie mit einer angewachsenen

aber auch nur

werden, dem

"

mine).

verdeckt,

was

den Sinn fur den

Exoteric esoteric

This

57

Teaching

teaching; for Plato's

teaching is identical

exoteric

with

his "noble

lies."

considerations, which is more or less familiar to every reader if not Plato, duly emphasized by all students of Plato, is not even mentioned by Schleiermacher in his refutation of the view that there is a distinction between connection of

of

Plato's

F. H.

Nor does

exoteric and esoteric teaching.

to Lessing's

allude

Jacobi)

which

their technique than

und

other modern work

any

Schleiermacher'

s refutation of the view

ison

his Philosophic Ethics

of

and

come closer to

probably

with

he, in

Falk"

dialogues ("Ernst

in

that context, as much as

Lessing's

the spirit

of

conversation with

Platonic dialogues

and

in the German language. Therefore

question

is

A

not convincing.

the Nicomachean Ethics

would

compar

to light

bring

why he failed to pay any attention to the difference between the mo of the beginner and the morality of the philosopher, i.e. to the difference rality which is at the bottom of the difference between exoteric and esoteric teaching. reason26

the

I

to Lessing. How

return

information

about

between their

and

straight

bearing

ways of

presenting the truth. In

fear that

"by throwing

unphilosophic

to indicate that

The

Lessing

the basis

before

of what

26.

he had

That

is

27.

reason can

which, he

and

afar"

in

and we

be discovered

remarks of

have to

by

and

60

the young

January

of

the crisis

von einigen

statement about

antiquarischen

e.g. von

show

Arger

uber

expresses

has

sometimes

his

been

from the intransigent

ra

that this interpretation is

that the things which

Lessing

back"

that book. He also

of contents of

go on

continual contradiction of

living continually following

on

in the interest

statements,

e.g.:

of

"Knowledge

offensive and

the relevant passage in Gellius

defensive

(xx.5) in

the tenth

1771.

9,

which

Inhalts LIV (Werke,

Lessing

underwent when

"

30th 1784.

eine nicht unchristliche

he

was about

forty occurs

xvn.250). xxiv.4iff.

Compare

also

Jacobi's letter

Als (Lessings) Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts Schrift, beinahe fur eine Palinodie angesehen wurde, stieg .

Ergrimmen"

sein

he

were feels, he ought to "fetch book by Ferguson, as he believed on

Olshausen in his introduction to Werke,

December

fur

to

clear

an analysis of the

Lessing

Another

of

philosophic

iv.38).

To Moses Mendelssohn,

See

a

and 276).

29.

30.

passage

return

"The ordinary distinction between

28.

to Hamann

friend,28

ethics"

is

(loc. cit.,

Literaturbrief (Werke,

in the Briefe

a

it

in the table

seen

empty"

quite

Cf. the

a

in Ferguson's book "truths in the

of the essence of reason

wars

to

afar"

happen to live

which we

That

was about

ample evidence

he descried "from

descried "from

men, the

leads in

prejudices, I have thrown away a little too again."29

the passage makes

away"

which

experience which

earlier period toward a more positive view of the Bible and the

context of

had "thrown

had

experience of what philoso

groups of

famous letter to

certain

away

Biblical tradition. There is

truths

a

that I shall have to get back

tionalism of his

having

own exertion after

men, and therewith to the distinction between the two

the

wrong.30

had distinguished

his

by

way to the distinction between the two

understood

to understand, the

their esoteric teaching? If I am not mistaken, he

men and

much

and

ancient

that distinction

of

notice,27

philosophers"

his conversion, i.e. after having had the what sacrifices it requires. For it is that

undergone

phy is

the fact that "all the

exoteric and

the

rediscovered

led to

Lessing

was

die Albemheit des Volkes bis

zum

(F. H.

Jacobi, Werke,

1.398).

Interpretation

58

There may very well be a connection between the two kinds of truth: the truths which Lessing had thrown away formerly, may have been truths quietude."

our

contradictory to the truths generally

by the philosophy of enlightenment

accepted

later he

throughout his life. At any rate, two years

by Lessing

and also accepted

openly rebuked the more recent philosophers who had evaded the contradiction

by becoming much too wise to submit to the rule by Leibniz and all the ancient philoso phers. External evidence is in favor of the view that the book referred to by Society.31 The "truths in the Lessing is Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil which had been discussed by continual contradiction of which we have to between

wisdom and prudence

had been

of prudence which

observed

live,"

Ferguson Essay,32

Rousseau,

writings of

in his

not considered

in the table

a certain extent

youth

which

Lessing,

enough.33

ambiguous character of civilization some years

absolutely best civil then to have been the political

terms: even the seems

decisive

romanticism of

any

but toward

ernment and religion came

us

in

essay Lessing.

of

his

by

ments against

problem

an older

Papal despotism

which

yet not

deeper, historical

toward

view of gov near

he ap

we may learn from what F. H. is devoted to the explanation of a political

According

Jacobi, Lessing

to

once said that

are either no arguments at

held the

view

all,

or else

Could

princes.34

the argu

they

are two

Lessing

have

that ecclesiastical despotism is two or three times better than secu

lar despotism? Jacobi von

more precise

type of philosophy. How

times as valid against the despotism of

.

indeed,

of enlightenment

or three

Cf

view of

type of philosophy,

older

an

remark made

31.

later in these

the

to certain romantic views on his way from the philosophy of en

parently lightenment to that Jacobi tells

his

expressed

of

felt, had

perhaps

is necessarily imperfect. It which gave Lessing's thought a

toward what is called a

sort

he

his

constitution

from the philosophy

turn away

as

Lessing

carefully

of contents of

i.e. the theme

the ambiguous character of civilization,

concerned

two famous early

the

indicated to

and which are

in his

elsewhere says

Olshausen, loc.

cit.

,

44S.

,

who

own name

however

rejects

but certainly in the

this conclusion on the basis

spirit

of

"in

reasons."

ternal 32.

"Of the 33.

Cf.

the

following

incident to

The influence

son of the

the

e.g.

corruption

following

of

of sections:

Ferguson's

engine which we suppose

intercourse

"Of the

professions"

separation of arts and

and

nations.'

mitigated

quotations with what

necessary imperfection

continue their

headings

polished

Rousseauism

Lessing

of all civil societies.

to have

says

on

Lessing can be

in "Ernst

Ferguson

says

on

in Part I,

formed society, only teaches

their bonds of affection

seen

from

a compari

Falk"

und

to set

section

its

broken."

the obvious

3

and 4:

reasons of

"The mighty

members at variance, or to

"The titles

of fellow-citizens country men, unopposed to those of alien and foreigner, to which they refer, would fall into dis ". it is vain to expect that we can give to the multitude of a people a use, and lose their after

were

and

meaning."

.

.

sense of union

them."

See also among themselves, without admitting hostility to those who oppose Part IV, section 2: if the lot of a slave among the ancients was really more wretched than that of the indigent labourer and the mechanic among the moderns, it may be doubted whether the superior orders who are in possession of consideration and honours, do not proportionately fail in the dignity which befits their "

.

.

condition."

Jacobi, Werke, 11.334 ("Etwas das Lessing Essay extensively.

34. son's

gesagt

hat"). Jacobi

quotes

in that

article

Fergu

Exoteric of

Teaching

that that despotism

Lessing,

less bad than with

59

despotism.35

secular

the philosophy

which

of

Now,

enlightenment,

"exclusively"

is based

on

despotism

secular

could

superstition, is

easily be

allied

and therewith with the rejection of exoter

icism strictly speaking, as is shown above all by the teaching of the classic of en lightened despotism: the teaching of Hobbes. But "despotism based exclusively superstition,"

i.e.

on

tious

not at all on

force,

cannot

be

maintained

if the

nonsupersti-

minority does not voluntarily refrain from openly exposing and refuting the beliefs. Lessing had then not to wait for the experience of Robes

"superstitious"

despotism to

pierre's

the

against

realize the relative truth of what the romantics asserted

principles of

who seems

Lessing

the problem of civilization:

solution of generation

J. -J. Rousseau

earlier,

and

he

The

or of philosophy.

rejected

experience

realized

a political

that relative truth one

it in favor of the way leading to absolute truth, which he had in that moment enabled him to

Leibniz'

understand

to have believed in

"prudence"

the meaning of

in

a manner

infinitely

more ade

Leibnizians among his contemporaries did and could do. Leibniz is then that link in the chain of the tradition of exotericism which is

quate

than the

nearest

enlightened

to Lessing.

Leibniz, however,

initiated. Not to

thinker who was

Spinoza had

writer as

admitted

was

the only seventeenth-century

not

Descartes, even so bold a dogmata, hoc est, talia quae

the prudent

mention

the necessity of "pia

dogmata."36

movent"

as

animum ad obedientiam

Lessing did classicism

in

which a

have to rely on any familiar with its

not

he

tradition:

was

his

diligent

led him, first, to on

to

understand

35.

considered view

notice

the

Jacobi, Werke,

thinking

and

distinguished from "vera

But

modern or medieval representatives of sources.

that close man can

It

the

precisely his intransigent the classics is the only way

was

study of become a

philosopher37

which

had

the exotericism of some ancient philosophers, and later

exotericism of all

m. 469.

the ancient

philosophers.

G. Lessing's "Gesprach iiber die Soldaten

Monche"

und

(Werke,

xxiv. 159). 36.

Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, Cap. 14,

37.

He

Leibniz

writes

in the

71st

20

Literaturbrief (Werke,

(Bruder). iv.197),

after

having

quoted a statement of

"Gewiss, die Kritik von dieser Seite dieser Bekanntschaft [with Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes

in praise of criticism and the study of the classics:

betrachtet, und das Studium der Alten bis zu wodurch Leibniz der and Apollonius] getrieben, ist keine Pedanterei, sondern vielmehr das Mittel, fleissiger und denkender Mann ein welchen sich durch einzige der und Weg, geworden ist, der er war, (The italics are mine.) Ten years later (1769) he says in his Briefe antiquarischen ihm nahern k'ann."

Inhalts XLV (Werke, xvn.218): "Wir sehen mehr als die Alten; Augen schlechter sein als die Augen der Alten: die Alten sahen iiberhaupt

zu reden, mochten

Vergleichung

der Alten

und

leicht

und

scharfer gewesen sein als unsere.

Neuern hierauf hinauslaufen

diirfte."

doch durften

weniger als

wir;

vielleicht unsere

aber

ihre Augen,

Ich furchte, dass die

ganze