Scholarship Harvey Mansfield

1 scholarship

1.1 western civilization
1.2 defense of strong executive
1.3 taming prince
1.4 gender roles , equality

scholarship
western civilization

in response multiculturalism on college campuses, mansfield has defended importance of preserving , teaching courses on western civilization, proposing survey course selects dozen or books capture principal themes. mansfield believes understanding western civilization important because books explain deal problems associated human condition.

defense of strong executive

mansfield has argued president of united states has extra-legal powers such commanding military, making treaties (and carrying on foreign policy), , pardoning convicted, not mention veto of legislation , observing u.s. constitution not ask president take oath execute laws, rather, execute office of president, larger. referring domestic surveillance, mansfield notes, arguing executive should subject checks , balances wrong or imply president may checked in sense of stopped. president can held accountable , made responsible, if stopped, constitution lack sure means of emergency action. defends separation of powers, arguing executive subordinated rule of law in danger of being subordinate legislature.

taming prince

in book taming prince, mansfield traces modern doctrine of executive power niccolò machiavelli. argues executive power had tamed become compatible liberal constitutionalism.

gender roles , equality

in 2006 book manliness, mansfield defended moderately conservative understanding of gender roles, , bemoaned loss of virtue of manliness in gender neutral society. in new york times interview, defined concept briefly confidence in situation of risk. manly man has know doing. defines idea in more concrete terms in actual book. there, manly man not have know doing, has act though does. in book, mansfield subjects concept of manliness test in refers support of argument such diverse authorities homer, plato, aristotle, rudyard kipling, ernest hemingway, , naomi wood. in argument, manliness related assertiveness— decisiveness without complete knowledge —and place in society debated. in interview bill kristol, mansfield said, wrote modest defense of manliness. , emphasis on modest because manliness can bad good. not takes risks deserves have them turn out right , manliness is, think, responsible lot of evil. can terrorists manly, they’re willing risk lives , give lives principle believe in or point believe in.

manliness criticized martha nussbaum in june 22, 2006, issue of new republic. nussbaum accuses mansfield of misreading, or refusing read, many feminist , nonfeminist texts. argues book based on overt misogynistic assumptions take position of indifference towards violence against women. mansfield asserts, contends, woman can resist rape aid of ladylike modesty enabling take offense @ unwanted encroachment .

concerning controversial comments former president of harvard, lawrence summers, mental differences between men , women, mansfield said true women innately have less capacity men @ highest level of science...it s common sense if @ top scientists .

in 1993, mansfield testified on behalf of colorado s amendment 2, amended state constitution prevent gays, lesbians , bisexuals pursuing legal claims of discrimination. in testimony, argued being gay not life makes happiness, homosexuality shameful, , not being able have children gay people not socially responsible. nussbaum, testified in same trial against amendment 2, later remarked mansfield s source claim gay , lesbian people unhappy not contemporary social science research great books of western tradition (plato, tocqueville, rousseau etc.).