Leo Strauss's esoteric reading thesis, the primary modern source for this claim, has been critiqued by scholars like Josef Stern and Warren Zev Harvey as over-systematizing ambiguity into intentional concealment.

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Esoteric reading thesis(the main concept being discussed): The idea that important philosophers deliberately wrote in a way that concealed their real meanings from casual readers, only revealing them to careful, educated readers.
Intentional concealment(what Strauss claimed philosophers did with their ideas): Deliberately hiding or covering up something on purpose, rather than it happening by accident.
Josef Stern(as a critic of Strauss's theory): A modern scholar of philosophy who studies Strauss's ideas and has criticized some of his interpretations.
Leo Strauss(as the main scholar referenced in this statement): A 20th-century political philosopher known for arguing that great thinkers often hide their true ideas beneath the surface of their writings, and for studying how philosophy and religion relate to each other.
Over-systematizing(describing how critics view Strauss's approach): Taking something complex and messy and forcing it into a neat, overly organized system that doesn't actually fit.
Warren Zev Harvey(an expert cited as having done research on this topic): A modern scholar (academic) who specializes in studying Maimonides and his philosophy, helping us understand what Maimonides actually believed and where his ideas came from.

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