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![The Question of Happiness]()
2024 FestivalThe Question of HappinessFrom the ancients to our forefathers to our modern-day achievement-obsessed culture, the question of what makes us happy continues to perplex. Why are we eternally fascinated...
Video — 51m 58s -
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![The Dignity Index]()
2024 FestivalThe Dignity IndexWhat is dignity? How is it expressed, and how can we reclaim it? By using new tools for empathy, we can change the way we relate to each other. Participants in this interactiv...
Video — 56m 52s -
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![The Dilemma of Modern Parenting]()
2024 FestivalThe Dilemma of Modern ParentingHow do we raise empathetic children? How do we tackle tough conversations? And how do we build resilient humans while we balance family and work life? Meet three changemakers...
Video — 47m 24s -
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![Can We Transcend Race While Fighting Racism?]()
Q&ACan We Transcend Race While Fighting Racism?Writer Thomas Chatterton Williams on the moment his understanding of race shifted and what we need to unlearn to be truly anti-racist.
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![Wealth, Generosity, and the Good Society]()
2023 FestivalWealth, Generosity, and the Good SocietyPhilosophical and religious teachings regarding wealth can feel both archaic and strangely relevant to our age of economic upheaval. How can we reconcile these ideas about wea...
Video — 46m 57s -
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![The Open Secrets of Trusted Leaders]()
2023 FestivalThe Open Secrets of Trusted LeadersIn a time of historically low trust in leaders and institutions, how can leaders build trust across lines of difference, depolarize solutions, and not live in fear of cancel c...
Video — 51m 55s -
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![Forging Healthier Communities through Civic Engagement]()
2023 HealthForging Healthier Communities through Civic EngagementWhen we vote, speak out at local meetings, volunteer to build a park, advocate for a cause, or create opportunities to connect with others, we take on the shared responsibilit...
Video — 50m 50s
Young people in America are struggling. The causes are varied and may not be entirely clear, but the results are unfortunately unmistakable. Many of our youth feel lonely, isolated or depressed and struggle to see a future where they can buy a house, have a family or feel connected to their community. The two panelists in this talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival bring...
Friends, partners, children, families, coworkers — these connections profoundly shape our lives, and even in the best of times, navigating them takes real work. It also means asking tough questions. How do you know when it’s time to end a friendship? Do you have unfair expectations for your relationship? How can you have more positive, productive conversations with your ki...
New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks is known for bringing his thoughtful reflections on politics and culture, but at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival, he started off his talk a little differently. In rapid-fire succession, Brooks offered the audience over a dozen tidbits of practical wisdom. From taking responsibility for your actions and making de...
Jump in by watching our 15 most popular talks of all time. From black holes to jazz and civil rights to psychology hacks, we've collected the talks that remain audience favorites over the years.
Finding the national and global headlines understandably bleak lately? Whether you need mental distraction or stimulation, engross yourself in compelling topics and get a glimpse into a part of our world you may know nothing about.
Today's kids are coming of age against a backdrop of political, social, technological and economic upheaval. While these circumstances are shaping a precocious generation that is changing society and redefining cultural norms, kids are also struggling with mental health challenges, the pressures of social media and the ongoing terror of gun violence in schools. At the same...
Hope seems like a simple concept, but the feeling can be difficult to hold onto. And when times are difficult and chaos swirls around us, it’s more important than ever. How do we find and practice hope when it’s elusive? Spiritual and religious leaders rely on centuries of experience and wisdom to continually guide people back to hope, and this episode’s discussion from th...
Advocates, healthcare providers, legislators, researchers, and venture capitalists are bringing the unique health needs of women to light – from vigorous policy debates on issues affecting women’s bodies to groundbreaking research on fertility and menopause to an explosion of women-centered technology. But much more needs to be done. Gender differences in heart disease, de...
Ethical dilemmas, stakeholder pressure, building trust — leading organizations requires wisdom and stamina from the top. Who wouldn’t want some advice?
What makes us happy — really? How can we raise resilient and empathetic children? What does it mean to be truly connected in our increasingly digital world? Can we re-instill optimism in the American Dream? Which bonds are broken in our society, and how do we fix them? In this collection of sessions from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, our speakers explore existential quest...
Our need for human connection is profound and deep. Yet, today, one in two adults are living with measurable levels of loneliness – and the numbers are even higher among young people. At Aspen Ideas: Health 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy challenged each of us to commit to simple daily actions that can help strengthen the relationships that are critical to our indi...
Conflict and suffering can bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best. This is one of the lessons New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has learned from decades of reporting on the ground in war zones and amidst humanitarian nightmares. Somehow, despite witnessing atrocities like the Tiananmen Square protests, genocide in Darfur and war in Iraq,...
The federal right to abortions in the United States has been overturned, access to contraception and IVF services are threatened in many states, and the gender wage gap persists. It feels like an era of backsliding for women’s rights and freedoms. What can we do to reverse the trend and get back on the road to progress? Three experts and crusaders for women’s and family ri...
Henry Louis Gates Jr. — one of America’s leading public intellectuals and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard — explains the implications of knowing about our personal pasts. Actor and producer Joe Manganiello will then join him onstage to talk about what he learned from his appearance on Gates’ hit PBS show, “Finding your R...
A nonbinary comedian challenges us to question our notions of self, gender and society, and opens our eyes to what we may gain in the process.
Why do some conversations succeed while others stumble? The neurology and psychology of communication offer surprising explanations for why human connection goes right or wrong. Join in a live experiment — and explore how the right conversation, at the right moment, can change everything.
The rollback of reproductive rights, the push to end no-fault divorce, and gun laws that allow domestic abusers to own a firearm are turning the clock back on women’s rights. How can women preserve their freedoms?
Women are twice as likely to invest in female-led businesses. Explore the ways women approach wealth building and investment, and how they create opportunities to build financial security for all.
With ESG caught in the political culture wars, business executives must decide to speak up or stay quiet about climate, diversity and democracy. What do employees and citizens expect, and can playing offense be the best defense against the pushback?
Marriage rates have been decreasing for decades, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t finding new ways to create family ties that bind. Family bonds in the LGBTQ community and among platonic friends offer social and economic benefits — and drawbacks — and just might change our collective future.
