About
Nathan A. Jacobs, Ph.D.,ย is an artist turned scholar turned writer/producer/director with a unique interdisciplinary background spanning fine arts, philosophy, religion, and filmmaking. He began his career as a fine artist trained at the Maryland Institute College of Art, one of the top art schools in the country, where he studied fine-art painting and drawing. As a fine-art artist, he has sold numerous works to private collectors across the country.
Driven by an insatiable interest in big questions, Jacobs accumulated advanced degrees in Philosophy, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Church History, and Fine Art. During his studies, he paid the bills by working in the video game industry doing concept art, character design, storyboards, CGI, and cut scenes. In the commercial arts, he has also worked as a pre-visualization artist, creating storyboards and animatics for both the video-game and film industries.
Dr. Jacobs has served as a professor at Calvin University, Trinity College, and Trinity Graduate School, and was previously Visiting Scholar and Lecturer of Philosophy at University of Kentucky. He has published three books and over thirty refereed articles. His most recent book, Leibniz, Classical Theism, and the Problem of Evil, was recently released by Routledge. His previous book, The Persistence of the Sacred in Modern Thought (University of Notre Dame Press) received the Choice Gold Seal for Outstanding Academic Title. His first book, In Defense of Kant's "Religion" (Indiana University Press) was nominated for the American Philosophical Association's Book of the Year and the American Academy of Religion's Textual Analysis Prize.
After years in academia, Jacobs' experience in the video game industry and his love for art and ideas converged in filmmaking. He bootstrapped a short film followed quickly by a feature comedy, KILLING POE (2016), and a documentary, BECOMING TRULY HUMAN (2017), both of which he wrote and directed. KILLING POE showed at numerous film festivals and received awards for Best Feature Film, Best Independent Film, Best Screenplay, and Audience Choice Award, among others. BECOMING TRULY HUMAN, which examines the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, received a limited theatrical release and is now available on all major VOD and SVOD platforms.
As he started development on his third feature, the paranormal thriller THEY DWELL AMONG US, his work caught the attention of studios and industry insiders, leading to a first-look deal with The Wonder Project, an Amazon Studios partner. Jacobs is a writer and Co-Executive Producer on seasons 1 and 2 of the $100M Amazon Studios Original, HOUSE OF DAVID (2024), the flagship show for The Wonder Project.
Dr. Jacobs has taught classes on aesthetics, art history, and film, including interdisciplinary courses on the intersection between art, theology, and philosophy. He has written on the philosophy of aesthetics and is a participant in the Templeton Religion Trust's "Art Seeking Understanding" program. He has appeared on Closer to Truth and PBS, discussing his philosophy of art and aesthetics. His areas of specialization include modern philosophy, with emphasis on Leibniz and Kant; Eastern patristic thought, with emphasis on metaphysics; and the intersection between modern philosophy and patristic metaphysics in the philosophy of religion.
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