Samuel Kimbriel is founding director of the Aspen Institute’s Philosophy & Society Initiative, which seeks to reignite a national tradition of public philosophy, enabling us to grapple with the most pressing issues of societal purpose. A philosopher and writer, Kimbriel is part of an emerging generation of philosophers rethinking basic questions of individuality, identity and community. He has been a research fellow at the University of Nottingham Centre of Theology and Philosophy. Kimbriel is the author of “Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation” and an editor at large for “Wisdom of Crowds.” He writes about solidarity, ideology, democracy, power and trust for outlets including The Washington Post and the BBC.
Previously
As the stakes of political confrontation have escalated, the issue of forgiveness is complicated. Should one ever hold the line rather than look for avenues of reconciliation,...
You protect what you love, it is said, but the reality is that many people do not have the privilege of a direct connection to the natural world. The very concept of “nature”...
Philosophical 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...
We don’t always know how to express it, but many of us feel it: There’s something wrong with America today. The mood is tense. More Americans say they won’t have children beca...
Modern theories about what makes life meaningful can feel incomplete. How can we enrich these conceptions with ancient wisdom and knowledge traditions in a way that provides c...