Global Competition and the U.S. Airline Industry
United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek speaks with NPR's David Greene about consolidation and global competition in the airline industry.
Deep Dive: Is Math Important?
Math is not just the language of numbers. It is also not just a subject for school children. What math, if any is important for adults? Where does America stand in the world in math and how can we improve? Is it the teaching? What kind of preparation do our youth need to succeed? What do we know about other kids in the world and how they perform — and why?
The NEW Golden Age of Television
Is “Netflix-ing” the way of our future? Wall Street sure thinks so. Simply stated, internet TV is growing globally in ways that traditional TV just isn’t. From our desk tops to our wrists, the opportunities to watch what, when and where we want, have dramatically impacted our habits and desire. Who IS this upender, disruptor, changemaker who is so dramatically impacting our consumption of stories?
Women and Work
Changes in the demographics of the workforce and the nature of work itself have created new challenges and opportunities for working women and their families. Many of the fastest growing workforces, like professional caregiving, have long been associated with women and are a reflection of the increased need for supports for an increasingly female workforce.
The Robotic Moment: What Happens When We Talk to Machines?
Machines have no friendship to offer, and yet we persist in the desire for conversation, companionship, and even communion with the inanimate. Has the simulation of empathy become empathy enough? The simulation of communion, communion enough? We are at the robotic moment not because we have made robots that are ready to be our companions but because we are willing to be theirs.
Is Violence a Function of our Culture?
Homicide remains an endemic, seemingly unsolvable problem in America. And violent crime afflicts African-American communities to a much greater degree than it does others, as does mass incarceration — and as does police violence. What is the cause of this crisis? What role does racism play? What is the role of culture? Are there any solutions to be had?
The Power of Youth
Young adults throughout the US are volunteering — at all ages — and at such a level that as a group, they are now known for their generosity of spirit and dedication to social progress. How can we help build an infrastructure to continue to grow that momentum? What can we do to engage more youth in an active commitment to giving back to their country?
How Can the Private Sector Increase Economic Mobility?
The private sector is an important source of innovation, jobs and economic security. What role should business play in supporting economic mobility? What degree of freedom do executives have to address inequality as a business issue? What are the costs to increasing economic inequality?
The Sound of Tomorrow
The groundbreaking virtuoso organist and 2015 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence will speak with entertainment-industry leader Michael Eisner about his meteoric career rise and vision for the future of his instrument. Accompanied by live performance.
Climate Clarity and Complexity
While the basics of greenhouse-driven global warming are clear, translating these into specific local and regional impacts remains challenging. NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan blends a global view gained through three missions as a Space Shuttle astronaut with expertise in oceanography and geology to explain how computer models and Earth-observing systems will provide vital foresight.
By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission
Have we come to the end of the American project as the founders intended it? Join social scientist Charles Murray, who worries that the essence of the American promise — liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the unalienable rights — has eroded with the rise of what he calls the “regulatory state.” Murray calls on civil society and the private sector to rebuild Americans’ traditional freedoms.
Deep Dive: The Fish We Eat
Fish stocks around the world risk dangerous depletion, but in the past 15 years, a surprising narrative of recovery has emerged in the US. Learn how strong mandates, reforms, and limits on fishing have rebuilt fish stocks and created economic benefits for fishing communities. With: Carrie Brownstein, Timothy Fitzgerald, Barry Gold, Paul Greenberg, Kristofer Lofgren, Nakul Saran, Margaret Spring.
Libraries Are the Original and Future Open Source Platform
On the surface, it seems that the revolution in information technology is a threat to traditional libraries, but it’s actually the greatest opportunity in the history of the mission of libraries of providing public access to knowledge. Physical availability of collections need no longer be looked at as a constraint. Imagine the wave of creativity unleashed and how many more can contribute ideas.
Restarting Opportunity in the Connected Age
As America goes through the biggest economic transformation in a hundred years, millions of Americans are losing faith in the American dream. Technology and globalization are redefining work as we know it, and we need a bold vision for a new way forward. We need to rethink how people learn and train for the jobs of the future, and create paths to expand business opportunities in America.
Thomas Jefferson Then and Now
The author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power” explores Jefferson’s complicated legacy and suggests how we might reclaim the Jeffersonian insistence that political leaders be conversant with the philosophical and cultural currents of their time.
Deep Dive: Drought
Scarcity — across the West and elsewhere increasingly — the issue about water is whether there is enough of it. Some suggest California could be “out of water” in 12 months. How threatening is the current drought? And what do we do about it? Featuring: Noah Diffenbaugh, James Famiglietti, David M. Kennedy, Moderator, Pete McBride, Pat Mulroy, William Phillimore, and Buzz Thompson
How I Learned about Capitalism from Bach & a Penniless Swami
Some argue that capitalism is a great blessing and a fundamental force for good. Others argue that it can encourage greed. The truth? Both sides are onto something. Free enterprise has lifted billions of people out of poverty worldwide. But while we fight for prosperity at home and around the world, we must guard against materialism and remember that money is only a means to greater ends.
America's Lessons Learned in Afghanistan
For well over a decade after 9/11, America pursued three very different and difficult campaigns in Afghanistan. The CIA waged a war in the shadows to dismantle Al Qaeda, the U.S. military battled Taliban, and the State Department led efforts to establish a legitimate government and repair their war-torn country. Karl Eikenberry served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009-2011.
Welcome and Opening Session: 2015 Aspen Ideas Festival
With: Melody Barnes, Sherry Turkle, Ron Davis, James Bennet, Phumzile Sitole and more.
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