Claremont Institute’s Founding and Philosophical Roots: An FAQ

Who Founded the Claremont Institute?

The Claremont Institute was established in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa: Larry P. Arnn, Christopher Flannery, Peter W. Schramm, and Thomas B. Silver. Their goal was to restore the principles of the American Founding, emphasizing natural rights and the moral dimensions of political life. Influenced by Jaffa's teaching, particularly his admiration for Abraham Lincoln, the Institute promotes a return to the founding principles through its publications such as the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind12.

Who Was Harry Jaffa?

Harry V. Jaffa (1918–2015) was a renowned American political philosopher and a student of Leo Strauss. Jaffa is best known for his work on Abraham Lincoln and the American Founding, particularly his seminal book Crisis of the House Divided, which highlighted Lincoln's defense of natural rights. Jaffa’s teachings stressed the importance of virtue, liberty, and the principles in the Declaration of Independence as essential to the American regime1.

What Was Jaffa’s Relationship to Leo Strauss?

Leo Strauss was Harry Jaffa’s mentor, and their relationship was instrumental in shaping Jaffa’s philosophical outlook. Strauss, a German-American political philosopher, critiqued modernity and called for a revival of classical political philosophy, particularly the works of Plato and Aristotle. He believed that the great works of antiquity held essential truths about human nature and political life. Jaffa adopted these views, applying them to his study of Lincoln and the American Founding3.

Who Was Leo Strauss?

Leo Strauss (1899–1973) was a significant figure in 20th-century political philosophy. Born in Germany, Strauss fled to the U.S. during the rise of Nazism, where he taught at the University of Chicago. His philosophical work critiqued the Enlightenment’s emphasis on relativism and historicism, advocating instead for a return to classical philosophy’s focus on universal truths. Strauss argued that modern philosophy's failure to address enduring questions about justice and the good led to nihilism and moral decay. His influence extended into American political thought, particularly among conservative scholars4.

What Was Strauss’s Relationship to Ze’ev Jabotinsky?

Strauss was influenced in his early years by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a key figure in Zionist thought. Jabotinsky, whom Strauss admired, was a leading advocate for the establishment of a Jewish state and founded Revisionist Zionism, a more militant and nationalistic branch of the movement. Jabotinsky’s ideas on national identity and self-defense resonated with Strauss, who had joined a Zionist youth group in his youth and supported the establishment of Israel as a moral necessity for the Jewish people5.

Who Was Ze'ev Jabotinsky?

Ze'ev Jabotinsky (1880–1940) was a Russian-Jewish Zionist leader, writer, and founder of Revisionist Zionism. His ideology advocated for a Jewish state on both sides of the Jordan River and emphasized military strength to defend Jewish interests. He co-founded the Jewish Legion during World War I, which fought alongside the British, and later organized illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine. Jabotinsky’s influence is evident in the founding of the Israeli political party Likud, and his legacy continues to shape right-wing Zionist thought today6.

Footnotes:

1. Claremont Institute - Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_Institute ↩ ↩2

2. The Claremont Institute. Influence Watch. Retrieved from: https://www.influencewatch.org/organization/claremont-institute ↩

3. Leo Strauss - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/strauss-leo/ ↩

4. Leo Strauss. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss ↩

5. Mondoweiss: ‘New Yorker’ profile of Paul Singer plays down Israel and can’t say, ‘neoconservative’. Retrieved from: https://mondoweiss.net ↩

6. Ze'ev Jabotinsky - Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved from: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jabotinsky-ze-ev ↩