Our Politics of Prudence Seminars bring together state legislators and policymakers who want to deepen their understanding of the conservative intellectual tradition and apply conservative principles to contemporary challenges. On October 24 – 25, we welcomed fifteen such legislators and policymakers for a seminar on Reconfiguring American Conservatism: Then and Now. George H. Nash, the leading historian of the American conservative intellectual movement, guided participants through the origins, reconfiguration, and future prospects for conservatism in America.

Clark Durant, founder of Cornerstone Schools in Detroit—a network of inner-city charter schools—principal Andy Anuzis, and administrator Elijah Richardson participated in the seminar and offered examples of character formation in schools. We were also joined by two members of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, Gergely Prőhle and Bence Kocsev, whose perspectives from the standpoint of Europe enriched the discussion. Together, they brought out a truth at the heart of Russell Kirk’s thought: that any genuine renewal of the political order must first begin with the renewal of culture.