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Our national conversation is increasingly defined by deep divisions, worries about the stability of our political system, and even threats of political violence. Yet, in the midst of our national partisan rancor and political and cultural upheaval, you can find heroes, visionaries, and bold leaders.

Designers are tackling the world’s most complex problems in the most remarkable ways. Whether it is a simple and utilitarian object like a mouse, or a complex, extravagant system like a solar farm, design gives definition to our aesthetic sensibilities and our definition of quality. Designers' ideas amaze and inspire, but they also challenge us to imagine progress in an al...

How can Yo-Yo Ma help sixth graders learn earth science? How does ballet strengthen the mind along with the body? The below clips, which feature dance, music, and performance art pieces performed at the Aspen Ideas Festival, are tantalizing parts of whole sessions that explore how the arts can heal and educate. Watch a clip or two and gain a deeper appreciation for how per...

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.

American conservatives have traditionally supported a free market domestically, free trade internationally, low taxes, limited regulation, and a limited federal government. Today, however, many Republicans and conservatives accept the possibility of higher deficits in their efforts to reduce taxes and support a tariff-based trade policy. Father to the right, interest grows...

Economic growth is frequently defined as the increase in value of everything in an economy. Standard of living, access to health care, and minimum wage are some of the standard measures of economic well-being. But with the ubiquity of technology, impacts of artificial intelligence on jobs, new limits to free trade, and increased pressure to address climate, how should we n...

International order, as we’ve known it for more than 70 years, is in flux. With changing alliances, abandoned treaties, disputes over globalism versus nationalism, and the rise of authoritarian rule, liberal democracy is deteriorating. Populist movements in Europe, America, and beyond are fueled, in part, by deep-seated grievances. Throughout much of Africa and the Pacific...

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...

Aspen Ideas: Health dove deep on topics like CBD, health advocacy, and fecal transplants, and it really got people talking. We put together a list of some of the most attention-grabbing sessions from 2019 Aspen Ideas: Health so you can join the conversation.

There are many species of great ideas. There are ideas that are mind-bendingly complicated, built on paradigm-upending research. There are those that have clearly been good ideas all along, and will be incredible once everyone decides to actually put muscle and money behind it.

The Festival presents a cornucopia of more than 200 sessions over seven days. Since there's no way to pack it all in, we've gathered these don't miss presentations to help you get started.

When we tell the story of humankind, we tend to tell it through stories of the exceptional among us, be they visionaries or villains. But the famous are more than mere archetypes, and their complicated lives can give us inspiration for making the most of our own.

From using Cannabidiol to treat post-traumatic stress disorder to the expansion of artificial intelligence and big data to cure disease to fecal transplant therapy, the sessions and articles here discuss the power and perils of taking the unexpected treatment path.

Generation after generation, we’re doing a pretty good job at regeneration. Yet sex continues to be a confusing subject — laden with ignorance, taboo, and shame — and the addition of technologies for connection, gratification, and reproduction are changing the landscape of intimacy. What do we really know about sex, and will we ever be good at talking about it?

Anthropogenic climate change isn’t just real, it’s here. And there’s no time for any of us — governments, corporations, or individuals — to sit on the sidelines waiting to see how things play out. These sessions explore the current impacts of climate change, look for leaders to help us mitigate the disaster, and even offer a bit of hope — if we act now.

So many kids these days can be outspoken and inspiring, with world-changing ideas they’re ready to put into action. But in truth, we’ve not been great to the youth of today, leaving many of the most vulnerable behind and leaving the majority ill-prepared for the travails that are coming their way. Though it’s tempting to leave them the job of building the future, we first...

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.

Civilization was a byproduct of humanity’s need to feed ourselves, but we still haven’t figured it out. World population continues to grow even as developing economies demand more resource-intensive food. And though we face the prospect of long-term crop-antagonistic weather, we still throw away a tremendous amount of food. Take a look at the challenges of today — and the...

We put them in harm’s way all over the world, and when they return to us — often physically and mentally debilitated — we have a bad habit of forgetting their sacrifice. What do we owe our veterans, what can we learn from them, and what new strategies can we use to keep them healthy and productive in civilian society?