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The American Criminal Justice system is flawed, to put it mildly. It’s oversized, inefficient, and unfair, and it often seems that we can’t even agree what it’s supposed to be doing. Until recently, there was a growing bipartisan consensus on the need for radical new approaches to sentencing and incarceration, but the current administration seems to have reversed course. W...
If the 2016 US election felt volatile and vitriolic, the forecast for a cordial 2020 isn't looking good. The nomination process is dividing Democrats, Republicans are closing ranks around an embattled President Trump, and distrust of news media is at an all-time high. Is there hope for unity across political affiliations? Can we learn to trust journalists again? What are t...
People are connected more than ever before, yet record rates of loneliness, depression, and social fragmentation plague society. In an era where news travels around the world in minutes and you can learn intimate details about strangers with a few taps on a smartphone, how do we forge healthy relationships with other people, society, and even ourselves?
There’s more going on in discussions of gender than a sudden mainstream awareness of trans identities. Issues surrounding gender identity can (and should) inform our thinking on feminism, masculinity, sexual harassment, and larger policy issues like global health. Though to some it may seem a niche issue, changing views on gender affect us all, personally and politically.
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...
Urban areas around the world are growing at rates not seen since the throes of the Industrial Revolution, and they're facing pressures never experienced before.
Whether you love setting New Year’s resolutions or ignore them entirely, there’s still a certain mix of nostalgia and excitement over the ending of one year and the possibilities that lay ahead. We’ve gathered five big ideas that offer some food for thought as you head into 2024, including a new mindset for thinking about careers, a glimpse into the history of the cosmos,...
Two weeks before the first woman of color became Vice President, an angry mob that included members of the white supremacist group Proud Boys, stormed the US Capitol. As Ibram X. Kendi puts it, “we’re engaged in this struggle between two forces: racial progress and racist process.” Watch recent conversations that offer ways to recognize, reckon with and repair societal rac...
Before you commit to another diet, workout app, or "life-changing" routine, hear what experts on the cutting edge of psychology and physiology are saying about how to change habits. Understand how mind, body, and spirit come together to make a healthy person. From endurance athletes to happiness researchers, experts on the Aspen Ideas Festival stage share insights you can...
Global conflicts and health crises have put into stark relief deeply-ingrained gender roles in society. Yet the past years have also seen record-high numbers of women running for political office and holding executive positions in Fortune 500 companies. Where are we seeing progress, and where do we still desperately need to make headway? How is feminism adapting to tumultu...
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...
Are we in a golden age of storytelling? From podcasts to novels, fine art to live performance, pop-ups to monuments, YouTube, Netflix and Instagram, the ancient art form of storytelling is being reimagined across all platforms, granting greater access for millions of individuals to share their stories. For centuries, artists have been pioneering methods to tell a story. Ex...
Americans seem more culturally and ideologically divided than at any point in most of our lifetimes, with no prospect of bridging those divides any time soon. The only thing we seem to agree upon is that our politics are broken and our leaders are unable to solve the nation’s most fundamental challenges. What can be done to save American democracy from itself? Can we still...
It feels like the world is falling apart -- how can big business help?
With many students returning to school from the comfort of their living rooms, educators are using this unique period to address long-standing problems of equity.