Leo Strauss
<p>In his semi-autobiographical book, <i>Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea,</i> Irving Kristol cited a number of influences on his own thought, including not only Max Shachtman and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss" title="Leo Strauss">Leo Strauss</a> but also the skeptical liberal literary critic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Trilling" title="Lionel Trilling">Lionel Trilling</a>. The influence of Leo Strauss and his disciples on neoconservatism has generated some controversy, with Lind asserting:<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism_%28United_States%29#cite_note-22">[23]</a></sup></p>
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<div>For the neoconservatives, religion is an instrument of promoting morality. Religion becomes what Plato called a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_lie" title="Noble lie">noble lie</a></i>. It is a myth which is told to the majority of the society by the philosophical elite in order to ensure social order... In being a kind of secretive elitist approach, Straussianism does resemble Marxism. These ex-Marxists, or in some cases ex-liberal Straussians, could see themselves as a kind of Leninist group, you know, who have this covert vision which they want to use to effect change in history, while concealing parts of it from people incapable of understanding it.</div>
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