Word: mansfield
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...more disturbing aspect of the debate was the conduct of Professor Michael Sandel, the moderator. From the beginning of the debate, Sandel made it clear with which side his sympathies lay. He frequently interrupted Mansfield in an attempt to force from him the type of concise answers Sullivan was providing. The quality of the debate would have been much improved had Sandel recognized that Mansfield's style was fundamentally different...
...large disparity in debating skill and Sandel's constant pestering combined to cloud Mansfield's arguments. The debate was far more complex than most in attendance seemed to appreciate...
Sullivan began by arguing on Mansfield's own terms: the field of natural law. Sullivan noted that natural law looks to nature for guidance on what is good. Arguing that for some people homosexuality was natural, Sullivan questioned how it could then be morally wrong. He addressed an obvious retort to this assertion by distinguishing between homosexuality and other natural, but certainly undesirable, conditions, such as epilepsy and alcoholism...
...Mansfield began his argument by pointing to shame as the "central controller of human dignity." Shame, while sometimes excessive, is the sole restraint on sexuality, said Mansfield...
...Mansfield's assertions gave rise to the question of whether shame is inherent in people or if it is socially manufactured. Sandel and Sullivan pressed Mansfield for an answer, but Mansfield steadfastly refused to oblige...