Harvey Mansfield on Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels

An interpretation of "Gulliver's Travels" (1726) as a work of political philosophy. Click "Show more" to view chapters. For more conversations, visit conversationswi...
Chapter 1 (00:15 - 43:09): What Was Swift Up To?
Chapter 2 (43:09 - 1:33:54): On Gulliver's Travels
The latest in our ongoing series with Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield is devoted to Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and particularly his masterwork, Gulliver’s Travels. In this Conversation, Mansfield provides an in-depth interpretation of Swift’s writing, which Mansfield calls “essentially political.” Through his illuminating analysis of Gulliver’s voyages and encounters, Mansfield uncovers Swift’s pointed though subtle critique of modernity. In sum, Mansfield argues that Swift deserves to be studied as an important thinker in the history of political philosophy.