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From scientists, entrepreneurs, and journalists to politicians, artists, and youth activists, Aspen Ideas is privileged to engage with some of the brightest minds working to shape our collective future. Our blog is a place where we go behind the scenes to learn more about these incredible leaders and the work they do. Start with this curated collection of some of our favor...

Jump in by watching our ten 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.

Politics are a frenzy right now, with bombshell headlines dropping so often that it’s hard to know what to focus on. Even when you can cut through the noise, what you hear is grim. Culture wars are dividing schools and dinner table conversations. Voting rights are threatened across the country. Distrust of news media is at an all-time high. Political discourse is fraught w...

In May 2022, the world's most ambitious climate problem solvers came together in Miami Beach to address our collective future. Watch highlights from the inaugural Aspen Ideas: Climate, which brought together global and local policy makers, experts, artists, young leaders, and many others for a series of conversations aimed at educating and inspiring action to combat climat...

As antagonism between superpowers is escalating, free and fair elections are increasingly threatened, and war plays out on the ground and across cyberspace, the fault lines in democratic institutions are widening. Healthy democracies require trust among members, and that trust is failing. Just how much danger is our political system in? What can we do to repair what’s brok...

From the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion rights to public health's role in addressing gun violence to the devastating human toll of the war in Ukraine, this year's Aspen Ideas: Health sessions tackled some of the most pressing issues driving headlines nationally and globally. Explore the timely conversations with top government officials, business leaders, public health...

In America, millions of people struggle with mental health including depression, anxiety, and more — all further exacerbated by living through a pandemic. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that one in five adults experience mental illness each year, but despite how common it is, mental health is still surrounded by stigma and shame. Our experts are candid abo...

A couple of degrees makes a world of difference — megafires, rising seas, failing infrastructure, and food systems require our immediate attention. Demands on dwindling natural resources continue to mount, but the roadmap to a healthy relationship with our planet exists. We can turn carbon into meat and apply Indigenous knowledge of forests and fire. We can decarbonize the...

The nature of beauty, and whether it’s objective or subjective, is the subject of timeless philosophical debate. Do perceptions of beauty vary culturally and generationally, or are they determined by something more ancient within us? Should beauty be the goal of art, or is conveying a particular emotion between artist and audience more critical? And turning to the mirror,...

While the workforce is still adapting to the changing economic landscape, one thing is certain — the traditional blueprints for education and the workplace have been ripped up. It's the perfect time to reimagine something better. How are workers managing amidst the wake of the pandemic and ongoing economic crises? Is the four-year degree actually helping young people launc...

While the workforce is still adapting to the changing economic landscape, one thing is certain — the traditional blueprints for education and the workplace have been ripped up. It's the perfect time to reimagine something better. How are workers managing amidst the wake of the pandemic and ongoing economic crises? Is the four-year degree actually helping young people launc...

Speakers at the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival addressed issues in a world that is irreversibly changed by the pandemic, divided by sharpening political polarization, reckoning with race, and craving connection after several isolating years. They looked to the past, present, and future to grapple with many of the most pressing — and simply fascinating — questions of our time....

Health workers often face grueling working conditions. They regularly confront trauma, work long hours, are exposed to physical danger, and must keep pace with the demands of a rapidly-evolving health care system. The COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified these challenges, leaving many workers burnt out. Learn how we can we better support those who care for us, from trainin...

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 issues, the pressures of social media, and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on key developmental years....

From blockchain to back to school and virus-hunting to bridging divides, speakers at the 2021 Aspen Ideas Festival addressed issues in a new kind of world—one touched, and changed, by the pandemic. Our speakers looked to the future and discussed the biggest, boldest ideas. Here's a sampling of the some of the Festival's conversations.

It wasn't so long ago that journalists and news anchors were some of the most trusted figures in America. Traditional journalism faced challenges before the 2016 election when "fake news" appeared and online media began to supplant print and cable news. How will journalism adapt to a changing technological and political landscape? What does it mean to be an arbiter of trut...

Where do emotions come from? Are they hardwired at birth, or are they constructed by our brains as we develop? Are our varied reactions somehow part of our genetic makeup? Why do emotions feel involuntary? Explore the science of emotion and the hidden forces that drive our behavior and that of those around us.

A 2018 UN report on climate change urged swift and unprecedented action to curb the rise of the planet’s temperature. Experts argue that avoiding a crisis will require significant breakthroughs in technology, a full stop on fossil fuel projects, fundamental changes to the way we feed the world, and ubiquitous carbon policies. Who will lead the charge towards a multilateral...

The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims to be apolitical, the court regularly hears cases that involve some of the most contentious questions dividing the nation, and its decisions can change the course of our social, political, and economic...

Music and dance are humanity’s hallmarks, a shared ritual of communities the world over. Over the millennia, we’ve created some highly specialized forms, but at its root, music is a language of emotion and empowerment, longing and loss — though it can also be a subversive force against authority.