Philo's method is a precursor to Kabbalism, which in turn i…

Philo's method is a precursor to Kabbalism, which in turn is a precursor to Strauss's method, who read the philosophers the same way that Kabbalists read the Torah. These methods function as justifications of covert power. Deception cannot be expressed without contradiction. Thus, contradictions in a text are evidence of deception (of course, they can also be evidence of mistakes or carelessness). The Straussian method is instead to treat contradictions as clues to a higher esoteric level of meaning, which can be the opposite of a straightforward reading of the book. Thus, Thomas Aquinas was really an atheist, Plato was really a libertarian, etc. Thus, nothing is every truly contradictory or imperfect. There is simply a higher level of meaning. This method can be understood as an intellectualization of the narcissist's habit of reframing and recontextualization to evade guilt.