Philosophy in Friendship: Jacob Klein’s Platonic Studies in the Correspondence with Leo Strauss

Abstract

Jacob Klein, Jewish philosopher of Letonian origin and German education, was a Professor at St. John’s College (Annapolis, Maryland) ever since his exile into the USA in times of the rise to power of the nazis in Germany. He is mostly known amongst scholars for his first work on Greek mathematical thought and the origin of algebra. A tight friendship bound him to Leo Strauss since their first meeting in Marburg in the 20s, a friendship that left behind a correspondence extending from 1929 to 1969 that encompasses various subjects. Taking due notice of the correspondence as a source for the study of Klein’s biography yields the interconnection of information otherwise only scattered around. Moreover, it is a first-hand witness testimony that allows us the observation of the discussion and first formulation of some ideas, for example around Klein’s platonic studies.

Key words: Jacob Klein, Leo Strauss, Greek mathematics, Plato.