Best Aspen Ideas Festival Podcasts (2024)

1
Can You Design a Good Death? 49:23

22d ago49:23

49:23

Death is understandably difficult – and for some people, nearly impossible – to conceive of and talk about. Especially our own. It may seem like there’s nothing we can do to prepare for our last moments on earth, but several innovative panelists at the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival would disagree. Alua Arthur is a “death doula,” who helps people find p…

1
Katharine Hayhoe on Fighting Climate Change 18:37

27d ago18:37

18:37

Climate change is demanding an extraordinarily rapid transformation of human society, and we don’t have a manual. The people who have done the least to cause the problem are the people who will be feeling it most, and that pattern of inequality exists both within and between nations. Mapping a course to an adapted planet is an incredibly complex ta…

1
What Makes a Life Worth Living? 1:21:55

1M ago1:21:55

1:21:55

For years, Yale undergraduate students have lined up to take a wildly popular course called Life Worth Living. Bucking the highly competitive tone you might expect at an Ivy League school, the class teaches students to look beyond traditional markers of success for deeper meaning. Theology professor Miroslav Volf is one of the co-teachers, and also…

1
Fighting HIV Around the World 51:11

2M ago51:11

51:11

In the late 1990s, HIV and AIDS was killing people in Sub-Saharan Africa at an astonishing rate. Generations of children were growing up without parents and the workforce of civil society was hollowing out. Drugs effectively treating the disease were just becoming available, and the George W. Bush administration wanted to explore a way to bring tre…

1
Our Changing World with Thomas Friedman 33:10

2M ago33:10

33:10

The world seems to be moving and evolving faster than ever before, and democratic ideals are under threat in many countries around the globe. New York Times columnist and journalist Thomas Friedman has spent his career learning how to see things from many sides and identify the seams in the fabric of society. He believes we’re at a moment in time w…

1
Forging a Path to Ethical A.I. 55:33

3M ago55:33

55:33

It doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to put the generative artificial intelligence genie back in the bottle. But we might still be able to prevent some potential damage. Tools like Bard and ChatGPT are already being used in the workplace, educational settings, health care, scientific research, and all over social media. What kind of guardrai…

1
Redemption Song? 55:08

3M ago55:08

55:08

History has the power to teach us what to do in the present, but do we actually make good use of that tool? Many events in our recent past might suggest otherwise. American history is complex and full of pain, suffering and missteps. Harvard professor Imani Perry’s interdisciplinary work draws from African American studies, legal history and cultur…

1
Our Modern Sex Lives 1:03:22

4M ago1:03:22

1:03:22

After millennia of human existence, we’re still figuring out and talking constantly about one of our most fundamental behaviors – sex. Despite the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s and the growth of sex positivity in recent decades, a lot of people still report having a lot of bad sex. The reasons for that are varied and multiple, but culture ha…

1
Parenting Teens and Young Adults in Challenging Times 55:30

4M ago55:30

55:30

Teenagers and young adults today are dealing with challenges their parents never experienced and couldn’t have prepared for. Nobody has a map and the road to resolution can be bumpy for all involved. Two adolescent psychologists published books last year aimed at helping parents understand and empathize with what their kids are going through and gu…

1
Decoding Animal Communication with A.I. 52:44

4M ago52:44

52:44

Scientists could actually be close to being able to decode animal communication and figure out what animals are saying to each other. And more astonishingly, we might even find ways to talk back. The study of sonic communication in animals is relatively new, and researchers have made a lot of headway over the past few decades with recordings and hu…

1
The Hot Truth About Menopause 51:37

4M ago51:37

51:37

Menopause is a normal phase of life, but can nonetheless be a challenging and confusing time for women reaching middle age. As a culture, we talk about the details of menopausal transition very little, and women often have to walk a gauntlet of sellers offering dubious cures and treatments before getting to medically sound and reliable solutions. E…

1
From King Lear to Succession with Brian Cox 59:39

4M ago59:39

59:39

William Shakespeare started writing plays in an era when popular theater was exploding and cementing its place in culture. Audiences spanned economic classes, professions and educational backgrounds, and he was keenly aware of the need to write for all attendees. He frequently wrestled with topics that retain relevance for society across centuries,…

1
Arthur Brooks on Managing Your Emotions 58:49

5M ago58:49

58:49

Living a happy life isn’t as simple as having a smile on your face all the time. We often think that our negative emotions should be minimized and repressed, but acknowledging and managing them is actually key to achieving a healthy baseline. Author and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks studies the latest happiness research across behavioral science,…

1
The Empathy Diaries with Sherry Turkle 42:15

5M ago42:15

42:15

The human capacity for empathy allows us to communicate, collaborate and understand each other. But we all know empathy isn’t always easy, and we can feel worn down by the effort. MIT professor and researcher Sherry Turkle studies empathy, and particularly how technology can undermine our natural human tendencies to connect. After several books and…

1
A Deeper Look at the Immigrant Experience 57:09

5M ago57:09

57:09

The stories we hear about migrants trying to escape difficult circumstances tend to focus on hardship, conflict, statistics and policy. We rarely get a deep look at any of the people risking their lives to cross the U.S. border or take a boat to Europe, and we don’t get to know or understand them as fellow humans. Writer Javier Zamora came to the U…

1
On Being in a Body: Kate Bowler with Krista Tippett 1:00:35

5M ago1:00:35

1:00:35

When Duke divinity school professor Kate Bowler wrote her best-selling memoir, “Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved),” she was grappling with the consequences of a shocking cancer diagnosis. Many of the common messages about hardship, tragedy and success that she’d grown up hearing – and even studied as a religious scholar – …

1
The Sober Curiosity Movement 53:47

5M ago53:47

53:47

For adults, the pressure to drink at social engagements, work events, restaurants or almost anywhere outside the home can feel constant. Recent research has found that “no amount or kind of alcohol is good for your health,” and a wide variety of health problems can be linked to drinking. The growing “sober curious” movement offers people a way to t…

1
Work and Life Advice for the Nonlinear Path 52:58

6M ago52:58

52:58

In today’s world, we tend to switch jobs more frequently than previous generations, and are more likely to have multiple jobs. Side gigs where we express passions or find meaning are also common, and many juggle additional roles as caregivers and community members, as people always have. In short, many of us are focused on a lot more than just clim…

1
What Happened to the American Dream? 52:07

6M ago52:07

52:07

Most Americans today would agree that the dream of supporting a family and living a good life on one full time salary is not available to vast numbers of people. Wages have not risen at the pace of profits over the last several decades, and work with benefits is far from guaranteed for many. In his 2023 book, “Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story…

1
How Do We Put Guardrails on A.I.? 51:37

6M ago51:37

51:37

Artificial intelligence is making world-changing advances every day. But these powerful tools can be used for malicious and nefarious purposes just as easily as they can be used for good. How can society put guardrails on this technology to ensure that we build the most safe and responsible version of the future, where A.I. is assistive rather than…

1
Shakespeare in Contemporary America, with 'Fat Ham' Creator James Ijames 53:59

7M ago53:59

53:59

Shakespeare is ubiquitous in literature classes and theater, but the avenues of relating to his work are not always clear to young people and modern audiences. Some, such as Shakespeare scholar and professor Ayanna Thompson, argue that his plays make sense as living, breathing, adaptable instruments that can be shaped to fit the times. Playwright, …

1
Building a Zero Carbon American Future 59:49

7M ago59:49

59:49

Climate change catastrophes are already happening with increasing regularity, and it’s clear we need to take action. The Biden administration has set a target of zero carbon emissions in the United States by 2050. Reaching that ambitious goal will require a major transition in many sectors, including energy, agriculture, transportation, manufacturi…

1
Who Can Track and Hack Our Brains? 52:05

7M ago52:05

52:05

A technological future where our brain waves could be monitored and our thoughts decoded and analyzed — sometimes against our will — is not as far away as we think. But our existing legal protections and conception of human rights around cognitive liberty are trailing innovations in neurotechnology. Brain hacking tools and devices could bring massi…

1
How supporting entrepreneurs transforms communities 23:57

7M ago23:57

23:57

Why don’t Black and brown entrepreneurs have the same access and opportunities as their wealthy, white counterparts? How can access, opportunity and support empower these entrepreneurs so that their great ideas are able to thrive and make a difference in the world? Jay Bailey is the President and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneu…

1
How leaders create legacies that last 28:27

8M ago28:27

28:27

What is philanthropy’s role in finding the next world-changing great leader? What if the solutions to some of the world's biggest problems are out there, but they just need a little help scaling? Anne Welsh McNulty is the co-founder and president of the John P. and Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation. When we sat down in Aspen, we talked about impact cen…

1
Investing in Shared American Prosperity 48:48

8M ago48:48

48:48

Even when the economy is booming and unemployment is low, millions of Americans still face economic hardship. And in the last few years the United States has dealt with supply chain challenges, inflation and financial instability. The economic tools we have to identify, address and talk about those problems aren’t always up to the task, and sometim…

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Aspen Ideas Festival Podcasts

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