Nathanael Blake

Postdoctoral Fellow

Nathanael Blake, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His primary research interests are American political theory, Christian political thought, and the intersection of natural law and philosophical hermeneutics. His published scholarship has included work on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Alasdair MacIntyre, Russell Kirk and J.R.R. Tolkien. He is currently working on a study of Kierkegaard and labor. As a cultural observer and commentator, he is also fascinated at how our secularizing culture develops substitutes for the loss of religious symbols, meaning and order.

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Nathanael Blake, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His primary research interests are American political theory, Christian political thought, and the intersection of natural law and philosophical hermeneutics. His published scholarship has included work on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Alasdair MacIntyre, Russell Kirk and J.R.R. Tolkien. He is currently working on a study of Kierkegaard and labor. As a cultural observer and commentator, he is also fascinated at how our secularizing culture develops substitutes for the loss of religious symbols, meaning and order.

Dr. Blake grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and received an undergraduate degree in microbiology with a chemistry minor from Oregon State University. After working as a writer and editor in the pro-life movement, he enrolled in graduate studies at the Catholic University of America, earning a doctorate in political theory. His dissertation was titled: “Natural Law and History: The Use and Abuse of Practical Reason.” Blake was a Richard M. Weaver Fellow of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and served as an adjunct professor of American Government at Wheeling Jesuit University.

Dr. Blake is a Senior Contributor to The Federalist, where he has published over 150 pieces since 2017. His work has been published in a variety of publications, including Public DiscourseThe Catholic World Report, and National Review.

An evangelical Christian, Blake helps lead worship at his church—he particularly enjoys playing old hymns on double bass.

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Virginia’s Anti-Parent Plot Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Nathanael Blake

Everything Democrats say they believe about LGBT youth demands that children be taken from parents who do not affirm rainbow identities.

Articles

The Federalist / October 18, 2022

Pro-Lifers Can Keep Winning But Only If We’re Smart And Steadfast

Nathanael Blake

Since the overturning of Roe, pro-life victories have been won in rapid succession, but there is still work to be done.

Articles

The Federalist / October 11, 2022

It’s Not Tolkien’s Fault Amazon’s Adaptation Is Terrible

Nathanael Blake

The latest episode of ‘The Rings of Power’ shows the real obstacle to filming Tolkien is the filmmakers themselves.

Articles

The Federalist / September 27, 2022

NYT Attacks Jewish Schools to Punish Dissent, not Uphold Academic Standards

Nathanael Blake

The Times’ campaign against yeshivas is about much more than teaching Math and English. It is a template for attacking all dissenters.

Articles

The Federalist / September 22, 2022

Standing up to the Biden administration’s transgender mandate

Nathanael Blake

Government agencies including the HHS are poised to try to force Catholic doctors and hospitals, along with other dissenters, to chemically and surgically sterilize patients, including children.

Articles

Catholic World Report / September 21, 2022

Rings and Rationalism: Tolkien’s Tales Against Domination

Nathanael Blake

He wanted to tell stories, not put crude speeches into the mouths of his characters.

Articles

Why The ‘Rings Of Power’ Showrunners Keep Writing Themselves Into Ridiculous Corners

Nathanael Blake

Amazon’s expensive show based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ illustrates the problems with the entertainment industry.

Articles

The Federalist / September 14, 2022

The Moral Imagination and Rings of Power’s Failures

Nathanael Blake

Amazon wanted a big-name fantasy series, not a tragic tale of man’s sinful rebellion against God, and it shows.

Articles

The Federalist / September 6, 2022

‘Liberated,’ AKA Indulged and Miserable

Nathanael Blake

The sexual revolution has not delivered on its promises, for it cannot.

Articles

WORLD Opinions / August 29, 2022

Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Rewards Loyal Democrats And Punishes Everyone Else

Nathanael Blake

Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are forcing the working class to pay back the student loans of their leftist supporters.

Articles

The Federalist / August 29, 2022

Book Review: The Mysterious Being in the Ring

Nathanael Blake

Tolkien shows us that hierarchy is distinct from domination — having authority over someone is not the same as dominating that person.

Articles

The University Bookman / August 28, 2022

Gender Affirming Care: Neither Affirming Nor Caring

Nathanael Blake

The euphemistic phrase conceals the brutal realities of medical transition. Gender-affirming care is a lie, and we must stop it.

Articles

The Federalist / August 19, 2022