Leo Strauss, Max Weber, and the scientific study of politics

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Can politics be studied scientifically, and if so, how? Social science has often embraced unreflective relativism as a foundation for its operations and for liberal societies, assuming that values cannot be justified by reason alone. Despite the heightened sensitivity to values following the sixties, there has been no fundamental reexamination of value relativism, which continues to underpin contemporary social science. Nasser Behnegar provides a thorough exploration of Leo Strauss's critique of modern social science, particularly political science. Behnegar argues that Strauss did not oppose the scientific study of politics but rejected the notion that it could rest on the unexamined distinction between facts and values. He viewed Max Weber as a key proponent of value relativism, and Behnegar skillfully elucidates Strauss's critique of Weber's belief in the insolubility of value conflicts. Strauss's critique aimed to expose the contradiction between political science's claim to value-free premises and its commitment to democratic ideals. Ultimately, Behnegar demonstrates that values—the ethical dimension often absent in contemporary social science—are crucial for Strauss's vision of a genuinely scientific approach to the study of politics.