Nathan Schlueter
Member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
From Hillsdale, Michigan
From Hillsdale, Michigan
As far back as I can remember, I have been interested in everything. Thats why I chose to study philosophy: the discipline that studies everything in relation to wisdom. The study of philosophy hinges on the belief that there is a truth to be discovered. Moral virtues, like humility and courage, are preconditions for the discovery of this truth. Hillsdale College is devoted not only to truth, but to the legal and political principles and the moral and intellectual virtues necessary for its pursuit.
Plato said it best: Teaching is like midwifery. Just as midwives dont put babies into empty wombs, teachers dont put ideas into blank minds. Rather, they help human beings figure out that they are lost, and then show them the way home. While higher education can serve many purposes, such as vocational training in law, medicine, or engineering, the purpose of liberal education is to liberate the full moral and intellectual powers of human beings, leading them out from ignorance and egoism to truth, goodness, and beauty.
With nine children, I spend most of my time when I am not teaching with my family; we read stories, pray, play music and games. In my rare spare moments, I love to play the banjo, guitar, tennis, and chess.
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Nathan Schlueter Elected to Membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Nathan Schlueter of Hillsdale, Michigan, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society,...
January, 20 2026 - Verified by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Hillsdale College
August 2011 - Present
Director of Pre-law at Hillsdale College
August 2011 - Present
Assistant Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College
August 2005 - August 2011
Folwell Chair in Political Science and Pre-law at St. Ambrose University
August 2001 - May 2005
"Progressive Education: The End of Reason," National Review
The New Republic’s ‘American Fascism’ issue reveals, among other things, the depth of the rot in elite higher education.
July 2024 -
Articles
"Boys to Men," Public Discourse
These are formidable challenges. But to fully meet them we first need to know what a man is, not just an “adult male of the human species,” but a real man, a “man in full,” a gentleman. It turns out this is a most interesting question to explore—and not an easy one to answer.
June 2024 -
Articles
"Why Antifeminism Isn't Enough," Nathan Schlueter
AntiFems face a dilemma. On one hand, they want to affirm, protect, and promote the distinctiveness of women. On the other hand, they oppose what at present seems like the only viable strategy for achieving that end, the recovery and extension of an authentic feminism.
March 2024 -
Articles
"After Postliberalism," Public Discourse
What would happen if we dropped that charged word “liberalism” from the conversation and got down to specifics? I suspect much of Patrick Deneen’s postliberal magic would disappear.
May 2023 -
Articles
“The Romance of Domesticity,” in Creed & Culture II: A Touchstone Reader
The Fellowship of St. James
April 2022 -
Publications
Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives? The Foundations of the Libertarian Conservative Debate
In Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives?, Nathan W. Schlueter and Nikolai G. Wenzel present a lively debate over the essential questions that divide two competing political philosophies. Wenzel—a libertarian who believes the state should be restricted to protecting life, liberty, and property—and Schlueter—a conservative who thinks the state has a larger role to play in protecting public welfare, safety, and morals—explore the fundamental similarities and differences between their respective positions.
Over a series of point-counterpoint chapters, they lay out the essential tenets of their own stances, critiquing the other. This engaging dialogue introduces readers to the foundations of each political philosophy. To vividly illustrate the diverging principles underlying conservatism and libertarianism, the authors explore three different hot-button case studies: marriage, immigration, and education. Compact, accessible, and complete with suggestions for further reading, Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives? is an ideal teaching tool that places these two political perspectives in fruitful dialogue with one another.
November 2017 -
Publications
"Dr. Schlueter and the Liberal Arts"
“I see everything I do in terms of a vocation and if you think about teaching as a vocation, you’re thinking about the students that are human persons for whom you are responsible, and I want them to discover their vocation also.” - Dr. Nathan Schlueter, Professor of Philosophy and Religion
September 2017 -
Others
“More than Mere Will: The Ground of Fidelity,” in Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins.
Amid the current nationwide debate over what "marriage" is, this book examines anew the nature and meaning of marriage from the standpoint of what adult children of divorce have actually experienced.
January 2017 -
Publications
Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives? The Foundations of the Libertarian Conservative Debate
In Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives?, Nathan W. Schlueter and Nikolai G. Wenzel present a lively debate over the essential questions that divide two competing political philosophies. Wenzel—a libertarian who believes the state should be restricted to protecting life, liberty, and property—and Schlueter—a conservative who thinks the state has a larger role to play in protecting public welfare, safety, and morals—explore the fundamental similarities and differences between their respective positions.
Over a series of point-counterpoint chapters, they lay out the essential tenets of their own stances, critiquing the other. This engaging dialogue introduces readers to the foundations of each political philosophy. To vividly illustrate the diverging principles underlying conservatism and libertarianism, the authors explore three different hot-button case studies: marriage, immigration, and education. Compact, accessible, and complete with suggestions for further reading, Selfish Libertarians and Socialist Conservatives? is an ideal teaching tool that places these two political perspectives in fruitful dialogue with one another.
November 2016 -
Publications
“A Conservative Conversation worth Having: Alasdair MacIntyre and John Finnis on Morality, Politics and the Common Good.” Perspectives on Political Science. 44:102-108 (April 2015).
April 2015 -
Publications
“Benedict XVI and Leo Strauss on the Crisis of the West,” Modern Age, (Spring, 2013): 22-33.
April 2013 -
Publications
Hillsdale K-12 Classical Education Podcast: "A Tale of Two Revolutions"
Nathan Schlueter, professor of Philosophy and Religion at Hillsdale College, joins host Scot Bertram to discuss the differences between the American and French revolutions, growing intellectual movements critical of the American Revolution, and the importance of cultivating the virtue of statesmanship.
October 2004 -
Others
One Dream or Two? Justice in America and in the Thought of Martin Luther King Jr.
One Dream or Two? is a critical historical, constitutional, and philosophical examination of Martin Luther King Jr's understanding of justice-his "Dream"-from within the context of the American political tradition. Nathan Schlueter introduces King's "I Have a Dream Speech" and then isolates elements of his larger vision for social justice-paying special attention to issues of racial discrimination, political economy, civil disobedience, and the relationship between politics and religion-situating those elements within historical, rhetorical, and political context.
December 2002 -
Publications
“Prospero’s Second Sailing: A Machiavellian Reading of The Tempest,” in Shakespeare’s Late Plays: Readings in Politics and Literature
January 2002 -
Publications
The Great Books Podcast: "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley
John J. Miller is joined by Nathan Schlueter of Hillsdale College to discuss Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
Others
Introduction to Western Philosophy
“Introduction to Western Philosophy” is a 14-lecture online course that invites you to explore the works of the most important philosophers of the West, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, and Nietzsche, as they wrestle with the fundamental questions that all human beings are called to answer.
Others
