mansfield book club
170 posts
@contrapolisci
I am neither Prof. Mansfield nor a scholar but a secret third thing
I generated what I thought were two original ideas in graduate school, only to discover Michael Davis had the ideas first.
A new diagnostic quiz 10 questions for you to think about. This is probably more fun for people who are relatively new to philosophy. Try it out and see! I am having a lot of fun creating these tools, quizzes, and resources. Enjoy! diagnostic.millermanschool.com
A Very Happy Birthday 94th to Harvey C. Mansfield. Like many of you, I’ve deeply benefitted from his work. He has been an inspiration for love of study, wit, and rigor. Here is life advice from Mansfield, perhaps shedding light on his longevity (CRB interview):
The incomparable Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. was born on March 21, 1932.
Wanting to learn to read like a Straussian? Skip AI, read Great Books.
Wanting to learn to read like a Straussian? Skip AI, read Great Books.
Wanting to learn to read like a Straussian? Skip AI, read Great Books.
Harvey Mansfield is a legend at Harvard. For 61 years his classes were famous for being both highly demanding and oversubscribed. Now 93, he’s released a new book The Rise and Fall of Rational Control based on his lectures from Government 1061, his signature course. That book, and this conversation with @tylercowen, begins with Machiavelli, who Mansfield credits with laying the foundation for all modern science. 0:00:00 - Machiavelli’s "Effectual Truth" 0:05:50 - Conspiracy as the basis for all politics 0:15:12 – Shakespeare and the vulgarity of democracy 0:21:12 - The future of Straussianism 0:44:58 - Why the supply of Great Books has dried up 0:49:37 - Rational control vs. spontaneous order 0:52:56 – Hearing Winston Churchill speak 0:57:20 – How students at Harvard have changed 1:02:34 – Death’s influence on politics Watch the full conversation here or wherever you get podcasts: youtube.com/watch?v=qIcNig…
Write on the Declaration of Independence for a $2,500 scholarship to UATX’s Summer Fellowship. Advanced high school and college-aged students eligible. Essays evaluated starting April 1.
