Peter Minowitz

Peter Minowitz is a Professor in the Political Science Department at Santa Clara University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in political philosophy, with a focus on thinkers like Leo Strauss, Adam Smith, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli, as well as intersections between political philosophy and science fiction. He teaches courses on the history of political philosophy, Leo Strauss, Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, and the role of science fiction in political thought.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Harvard University (1988)
  • B.A., Middlebury College (1976)

Minowitz has authored two books—Straussophobia (2009) and Profits, Priests, and Princes (1993)—and written extensively on figures such as Karl Marx, Frank Herbert, and Woody Allen. His recent public commentary includes critiques of Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act and analyses of Critical Race Theory discourse, as seen in his letters to the New York Review of Books and San Jose Mercury News.

He also contributes to public engagement, notably through his jazz piano performances with the band Med’s Mood Swings.