Explore
Search results

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...

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...

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,...
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...

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...

For people with post-traumatic stress disorder, therapy assisted by the drug MDMA may provide lasting relief, with a new way of seeing their trauma and themselves. Rachel Yehuda explains the pioneering study of this promising therapy. Presented by Mount Sinai Health System.

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...

Gen-Z for Change's Aidan Kohn-Murphy on youth-led movements, his advice for young activists, and why it's impossible to lose hope.




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.

Monkeypox has now been declared a public health emergency in the US and a global emergency by the World Health Organization. What do we know about this virus and the current outbreak? During Aspen Ideas: Health 2022, Helen Branswell of STAT gave an explainer about monkeypox, highlighting five interesting things to know about the world's latest infectious disease concern.
