Collection
Dive Deep Into Aspen Ideas
![Deep Dive: The Microbiome around the World](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null1eebb7a5-6598-4bcf-854d-2d87d75f3744/48114779098_6062893c19_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1788%2C0%2C1739%2C2605&w=400)
The human microbiome—those trillions of microbes that occupy the gut and many other parts of the body—plays a complex and intricate role in inflammatory diseases. One intrigui...
![Deep Dive: The Genius of Soul](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/531d3af2-4382-43ab-971b-570f6c583078/28246339847_c4b3531c59_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C498%2C5976%2C3362&w=400)
Born out of gospel, R&B, and jazz in late 1950s America, soul has permeated music culture so thoroughly that its influence can be heard everywhere from modern country musi...
![Deep Dive: The Rise of Populism in America: What It Looks Like, Why it Happens, and Prescriptions for Change](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/acdcee40-b1bc-4184-8d9d-70a81831c204/42205857135_18a79121de_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1687&w=400)
Populism is most simply defined as support for the concerns of ordinary people, and those who call themselves populists — whether on the right or left of the political spectru...
![Deep Dive: Is China the Threat It’s Made Out to Be?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6b142c10-c0ac-4438-8bba-c5def35b1590/43094706731_95e75713c9_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C21%2C6720%2C3772&w=400)
Under Xi Jinping, China has become more authoritarian at home and more aggressive overseas. As China becomes increasingly economically dominant, what are the economic, politic...
![Deep Dive: Sounding the Alarm on Kids and Tech](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/1ecd1048-21e3-4e36-a468-0e3df82751bd/29218900908_323d8aa8e1_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C3677%2C5504&w=400)
After The Atlantic ran a cover story with the headline “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation of Kids?” a spate of stories and opinion pieces followed. The media was flooded...
![Deep Dive: Machines and Morality](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/nullef9a8894-bf66-48b5-bbdb-12358db513cb/35519509001_2d40f6ceb8_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C54%2C1600%2C899&w=400)
Artificial intelligence has rapidly and deeply permeated our lives; and for much of the public, these infiltrations were unexpected — some even remain unrecognized. As we deve...
![Deep Dive: Lying, Bullshitting, and the Meaning of Truth](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/nulla6d34636-1c62-4f88-bebb-b5dfd9a63eab/35518299166_0c069da995_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C62%2C1600%2C899&w=400)
When is the truth the truth, a lie a lie, and what constitutes mere BS in an era that many refer to as “post-truth”? We address the kinds of critical and largely ethical quest...
![Deep Dive: The State of Sex in America—Changing Mores, Changing Morality?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/9cb54344-6b7d-4501-854e-3efafc3ffdee/27961752841_a7ca074b96_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C614%2C7360%2C4145&w=400)
As mainstream attitudes about sex and relationships are seemingly more casual than ever, precise communication between individuals is increasingly paramount. What's the state...
![Deep Dive: Space—Why We Explore](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/888ea9b5-3f40-4a95-a146-6ee74ebadb7d/27859273412_d9a18ec2d0_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=423%2C1062%2C6560%2C3690&w=400)
What is the universe made of and why don't we know what it's made of? From the esoteric to the concrete.