Society
Values
Henry Louis Gates Jr. — one of America’s leading public intellectuals and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard — explains the implications of knowing about our personal pasts. Actor and producer Joe Manganiello will then join him onstage to talk about what he learned from his appearance on Gates’ hit PBS show, “Finding your R...
Marriage rates have been decreasing for decades, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t finding new ways to create family ties that bind. Family bonds in the LGBTQ community and among platonic friends offer social and economic benefits — and drawbacks — and just might change our collective future.
As the stakes of political confrontation have escalated, the issue of forgiveness is complicated. Should one ever hold the line rather than look for avenues of reconciliation, or is forgiveness essential to society? Samuel Kimbriel chats with Tamar Gendler and Erin McFee for a live recording of the podcast, “Wisdom of Crowds.”
The innovative philanthropist who paid off the student debt of the entire graduating class of Morehouse College class of 2019 talks about how to ensure all communities benefit from the digital revolution.
Spiritual leaders and lifelong seekers reflect on how to cope and find optimism in dark times.
How do we raise empathetic children? How do we tackle tough conversations? And how do we build resilient humans while we balance family and work life? Meet three changemakers who are drilling down on what matters the most for our kids.
Experts on well-being share why we all need family connections, community wisdom and the weave of social fabric.
What is dignity? How is it expressed, and how can we reclaim it? By using new tools for empathy, we can change the way we relate to each other. Participants in this interactive session leave with new ways of recognizing and avoiding discord.
AI is transforming health, with implications for early disease detection, diagnostic accuracy, medical decision making, precision surgery, and personalized treatments. By speeding data collection and analysis, it can accelerate research, refine drug development, identify disease outbreaks, and enhance remote patient monitoring. But efficiency is not a substitute for empath...
Opportunities and risks evolve as we reach the age of 50 and consider how best to celebrate our second half of life. With people living so much longer than in the recent past, cultivating health-building habits and putting supportive public policies in place has never been more important. Developing social connections, fostering a sense of purpose, and soliciting advice fr...
How do we describe the Republican Party today, and what are the dynamics that will shape its future?
In their new book, co-authors and Stanford professors Rob Reich and Mehran Sahami argue that big tech’s obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values. In this conversation, they outline steps we should take to change course and renew democracy.
Even at a time of intense partisan polarization, it is still possible to get things done in Washington. Hear from Representative Jason Crow (D-CO) and Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX), co-chairs of the House For Country Caucus, about the work they are doing on behalf of all Americans.
Join Dan Savage and Christine Emba as they shed light on the ever-evolving realm of sexual ethics in modern-day America. In this captivating discussion, Savage, renowned Savage Love columnist, and Emba, the provocative author of Rethinking Sex, delve deeply into the realms of consent, mutual pleasure, and the moral complexities and intricate power dynamics woven into our i...
In our discussions about people’s and society’s most desirable attributes, we use all these vague abstract words, like morality, virtue, and justice. But what does it actually look like to be a good person, in practical terms? Let’s walk through the steps. Author, columnist, and political and cultural commentator David Brooks is your guide.
“Self-care” is the buzzword of the moment. But far before face masks and digital detoxes, ancient philosophers were thinking of ways to enhance human flourishing. How do their ideas match up to today? Yale philosophy professor Tamar Gendler sits down with author Bruce Feiler, who traveled across the U.S. collecting stories on how we deal with life’s transitions. From mille...
Modern theories about what makes life meaningful can feel incomplete. How can we enrich these conceptions with ancient wisdom and knowledge traditions in a way that provides clarity about the substance of human flourishing?
For Kate Levin of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mayor Melvin Carter of St. Paul Minnesota, and Karen Brunwasser of FeelBeit (a community center that bridges divides between East and West Jerusalem), the arts aren’t just a supplement to life — they are a crucial balm to social division. Find out how institutions can harness the power of the arts to strengthen communities in th...
DOORS OPEN AT 6PM. In the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character erases painful memories of her ex-boyfriend. Could this be possible in real life? Neurotechnology, like decoded neurofeedback, offers ways to modify or erase unpleasant memories. Advocates believe it could improve mental well-being and heal emotional trauma. Forgotten memories co...
Stories matter, as do the ways we tell them. Hear from the founder of an audiobook empire and a renowned theoretical physicist on the art and power of capturing and conveying human experience through compelling narrative.