There aren’t many political philosophers who operate on the level of Harvey Mansfield. By which I mean that it takes a special kind of smart to be able to explain serious philosophy in a way that even chuckleheads like me can understand it.
Mansfield’s book Manliness, his treatise on gender, society, and what it means to be a man, has just had its tenth anniversary. If you haven’t read it, you should treat yourself to a copy. It’s an amazing book–profound and accessible, filled with the sort of truths that once you encounter them, you never forget. Mansfield and Manliness left such marks on me that they’re basically the foundation for the book I did on fatherhood. (Which makes an amazing gift for Father’s Day! If you’re into that sort of thing.)
So this week I want to give you a triple dose of Mansfield. First, go and get a copy of Manliness. Second, you can watch, read, or listen to his latest interview on Conversations with Bill Kristol in which he dilates at length on the book. And third, here’s a link to an event Mansfield did with the Hoover Institution on Monday where he talked about manliness in regards to our current genderless society. It’s great stuff.
What a man.
