About Nathaniel Urban

Nathaniel Urban is Associate Director of Curricular Improvement at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in Washington, D.C.

The Tragedy of Despair

By |2023-09-04T15:36:18-05:00September 5th, 2023|Categories: Evil, Hope, J.R.R. Tolkien, Western Civilization, Western Tradition|

My heart breaks for Tolkien's Denethor, whose life ended unnecessarily, as bitterness, anger, and hopelessness in the face of evil consumed him. Let our prayer be that, even as we observe the darkness at the doorstep of Western Civilization, we imaginative conservatives stand at our posts and look to the Heavenly Father as our protector. [...]

The Lost Meaning of Genealogy

By |2021-02-22T12:56:31-06:00February 23rd, 2021|Categories: Family, History|

Ancestry.com and 23andMe are brilliant modern genealogical tools. They are connected to various databases around the world, including the National Archives, and can fill in gaps of genealogical history. But genealogy is more than a collection of digitized documents and records; it is listening to stories at the dinner table, digging through dusty scrapbooks, and [...]

A Meager Commitment to Free Speech & Diversity

By |2020-10-27T12:14:46-05:00October 27th, 2020|Categories: Education, Free Speech, Liberal Learning, Liberty, Politics|

The California State University system is long overdue for a revision to its general education program. But why not leave politics out of it and work at cultivating a rigorous and coherent core and a free and open marketplace of ideas—so that graduates are prepared for career success, for informed citizenship, and to participate productively [...]

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