It’s an election year: how do theories of human nature inform our politics? What do C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien have to teach us about the temptation to the will to power?
Joseph Loconte, PhD, is an author and historian. He serves as a Presidential Scholar in Residence at New College of Florida and as the C.S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He also serves as a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. He was an Associate Professor of History at the King’s College in New York City and as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. He received his PhD in history from King’s College London
Mr. Loconte is the author of The New York Times bestseller A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918. His most recent book is God, Locke, and Liberty: The Struggle for Religious Freedom in the West. His forthcoming book, The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945, will be released by HarperCollins in June 2025. Mr. Loconte is a John Locke scholar who has studied the influence of Christian humanism on Locke’s approach to political and religious freedom.
Mr. Loconte writes widely about politics, history, culture, and religion. His essays have appeared in numerous outlets, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times of London, The New Criterion, The New Republic, National Affairs, The Public Interest, The National Interest, and National Geographic. Mr. Loconte served as a commentator for National Public Radio and has testified before Congress on religious freedom and international human rights. He served on the 2005 Congressional Task Force on UN Reform, specializing in humanitarian intervention.
Mr. Loconte is working on a documentary film series entitled, “The Gift of the Italians: A Traveler’s Guide to Western Civilization from Cicero to Sophia Loren.”
Mr. Loconte was born in Brooklyn, NY and lives in Washington, D.C.