Aspen Ideas to Go

Luis Alberto Urrea on the Power of Family

11 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author Luis Alberto Urrea's latest novel, The House of Broken Angels, is inspired by his own Mexican-American family. Set in a San Diego neighborhood,...

Stopping the Violence in Chicago

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In rallies from coast to coast, students across the United States are calling for tighter gun control. The deadly Parkland, Florida shooting resurface...

Runaway Slave: A Story of Triumph, Survival, and Resistance

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A young, courageous African American woman risked it all to gain freedom from America’s First Family in the late 18th century. Ona, or “Oney,” J...

Living a Moral Life

21 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries the human race has been grappling with how to live a moral life. In this conversation we hear from scholars who think deeply about moral...

What's Possible When Young People Speak Up?

14 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout history, young people have been at the center of activism: the Civil Rights movement, Black Lives Matter, the labor movement, and now gun v...

The Nature of Evil: Paul Bloom and Graeme Wood

06 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people do evil things? We hear from Yale psychologist Paul Bloom and journalist Graeme Wood about the nature of evil. Bloom studies morality in...

Is Gun Violence a Public Health Issue?

28 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The debate around gun laws is resurfacing in the wake of the deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Can America’s shared sorrow inspire a...

How History's Mistakes Guide Today's Leaders

21 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Jon Meacham has written extensively about the presidency, with acclaimed books on Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Franklin Roosevelt, and ...

US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith

13 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith says her true self comes out in her work. Poetry, she says, helps her wrestle with dark, sometimes unresolvable questi...

Why We Need to Talk About Race

06 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re white and middle class, you were probably raised thinking that discussing race was impolite. Color blindness was seen as a virtue. But in ...

Norman Lear & Khizr Khan: Understanding American Values

31 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Norman Lear is the prolific television writer and producer of stories about diverse American life—among them “All in the Family,” “Sanford and...

What's Driving Our Political Polarization?

23 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Trust in civic, religious, and academic institutions is at an all-time low in America. But this phenomenon did not, as some Americans might believe, b...

Susan Orlean: It's Okay to be Clueless

16 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times best-selling author Susan Orlean says ignorance about a subject is a powerful ignitor of curiosity. As someone who has written about bu...

What Would MLK Say About Today's America?

09 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is January 15. If Dr. King was still alive today, what would he think of the progress of the black community? How far have ...

The Next Big Challenge in Your Life

02 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What if you examined your life in the context of all of its stages? The annunciation and initiation phases in your youth and young adulthood are full ...

Living the Creative Life

26 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How is creativity cultivated in childhood? And, does a creative culture at home result in a creative career later on? Authors Jess Walter, Dani Shapir...

The Power of History, Community, and Hope

19 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Though his grandparents were his primary caretakers, Eric Motley was raised by a community. The author, former White House staffer, and Aspen Institut...

Coping with Disappointment, Setback, and Crisis

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Theo Padnos is an American journalist held captive by al-Qaeda for nearly two years. He was physically and psychologically tortured, but emerged with ...

The US Government’s Doomsday Plans

05 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For 60 years, the US government has been laying secret doomsday plans to save itself in the event of nuclear war — even while the rest of us die. To...

What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur?

28 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

America has always meant business. We’re a nation of self-starters, strivers, and entrepreneurs — with the courage to take big risks and the confi...

The Future of News: Is There a War on Truth?

21 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is the internet loosening our collective grasp on the truth? Pioneers of digital news once argued that new online sources would bring us new perspecti...

The Epidemic of Loneliness

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A crisis is emerging that could pose as grave a threat to public health as obesity or substance abuse: social isolation. Neuroscientists have identifi...

Being Muslim and American in 2017

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Muslim Americans — especially those who work in government or in other ways to counter radicalism and terrorism — feel caught in the middle. Much ...

The Three Lives of James Madison

31 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Madison's legacy matters today more than ever. As founding genius he made the Constitution to avoid faction. Then he discovered the real world require...

Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide with Cass Sunstein

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our politically charged climate, it’s not uncommon to hear about impeachment. Earlier this month, a billionaire environmentalist launched a campa...

The Imagination of Leonardo da Vinci with Walter Isaacson

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Walter Isaacson is fascinated by innovators — the kinds of geniuses whose ideas have transformed industry, science, and society. Albert Einstein, St...

Infidelity and the Future of Relationships (Rebroadcast)

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why do happily married couples cheat? Why does the modern egalitarian approach to marriage quash desire? Are the heightened expectations we bring to m...

Jeffrey Sachs on Why We're Living in a Dangerous Time

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

World-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs is distressed about the political and social atmosphere in the United States. With advances in technology, he s...

WTF (What's The Future)?

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The “next economy,” or digital revolution, is restructuring every business, job, and sector of society. By 2055, it’s estimated that half of tod...

The Best Sports Town in America

19 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The tiny town of Norwich, Vermont, has likely produced more Olympians per capita than anywhere else in the United States. Over the past thirty years, ...

On Being Latino in America Today

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As Latino Americans emerge as the majority minority and the new mainstream, representing 18 percent of the US population, questions are emerging about...

The Road from Paris, Featuring Ernest Moniz

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What are the consequences of the United States backing out of the Paris Climate Agreement? In June, the Trump administration announced the move. In th...

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, Featuring Kurt Andersen

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Has the great American experiment in liberty gone off the rails? Kurt Andersen’s latest book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500 Year Hist...

National Security in the Age of 'America First'

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump Administration has said it’s “committed to a foreign policy focused on American interests and American national security.” Critics hav...

CRISPR: A Crack in Creation

22 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

CRISPR is the cheapest, simplest, and most effective way of manipulating DNA. It has the power to give us the cure to HIV, genetic diseases, and some ...

Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White

18 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What role does faith play in bringing people together? Reverend Adam Hamilton pastors the largest United Methodist church in America. Within his Kansa...

Hate on the Rise

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hate groups are growing and the number of hate-fueled incidents is spiking in America. The latest incident was in Charlottesville, Virginia, where whi...

The Opioid Tsunami

11 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been called the most perilous drug crisis ever and it was generated in the healthcare system. The epicenter of the opioid crisis is the United ...

Securing the Homeland, Featuring John Kelly

08 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, you’ll hear from the nation’s new White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly. Kelly spoke in July at the Aspen Security Forum. At the...

The Roots and Future of Populism

04 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The confluence of globalization and the information revolution has primed the United States, and the world, for a resurgence of populism. Fareed Zakar...

Millennials and Motivation, Featuring Simon Sinek and Adam Grant

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Millennials shoulder a lot of stereotypes. They’re called entitled and in need of instant gratification. They’re not committed to their work and e...

Under Assault, Featuring John Brennan and James Clapper

28 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What are the most pressing external and internal threats to the United States? Two former US Intelligence officials discuss Syria, Russia, ISIS, and P...

Tom Price: Federal Health Care Policy

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After many setbacks, a possible vote to overhaul of the Affordable Care Act is back on the table. President Trump is urging Senators to pass a bill th...

Can the Democrats Get Their Groove Back? Featuring Cory Booker

21 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats face an uphill battle: republicans control the House, Senate, and the White House. Democrats hold the lowest number of state legislative sea...

Conservatism, the Republican Party, and President Trump

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Despite controlling both the White House and Congress, the Republican Party has had a bumpy ride in the first months of the Trump administration. Trum...

What Have We Learned from Listening to America?

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past year, the United States has been described as profoundly divided. But are these divisions as deep and hopeless as we think? The journali...

Can We Prevent a North Korea Crisis?

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Known as the “land of lousy options,” North Korea has posed problems for the US for decades. But now, the country is testing its missiles regularl...

TAKEOVER 6: Michele Norris Interviews Mitch Landrieu & Others

07 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our final podcast takeover episode, award-winning journalist Michele Norris discusses the legacy of slavery with a US mayor and the necessity of so...

TAKEOVER 5: Joshua Johnson Interviews Simon Sinek

01 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Joshua Johnson, host of WAMU’s “1A,” interviews Simon Sinek in this Takeover episode. Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire peo...

TAKEOVER 4: Pete Dominick Interviews Travon Free & Others

30 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this Takeover episode, two comedians and a writer — Pete Dominick, Travon Free, and Wajahat Ali — discuss politics, race, and a changing Americ...

TAKEOVER 3: Susan Page Interviews Jeffrey Seller & Others

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today, takes over the podcast by interviewing a panel of DC outsiders. Nobody thinks Washington is working ...

TAKEOVER 2: Perri Peltz Interviews Neal Katyal

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this Takeover episode, we examine the Supreme Court’s decision Monday to take the case regarding President Trump’s travel ban. The move was dis...

TAKEOVER 1: Julie Rovner Interviews Lanhee Chen & Others

25 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

During the week of the Aspen Ideas Festival, going on now through July 1, five Takeover Hosts—Julie Rovner, Michele Norris, Joshua Johnson, Pete Dom...

You're More Powerful Than You Think

21 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Black Lives Matter, the Occupy movement, the Tea Party, and many other groups have developed in recent years as a response to the age we’re living i...

A Conversation with Ruth Bader Ginsburg

14 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As the second female justice confirmed to the US Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg says her experiences as a female give her a unique perspective her...

Jane McGonigal: The Future of Imagination

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Thinking about the far-off future isn’t just an exercise in intellectual curiosity. It’s a practical skill that, as new research reveals, has a di...

Katie Couric and Beau Willimon (Rebroadcast)

30 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Netflix releases the fifth season of House of Cards today (5/30). In this encore episode Katie Couric interviews House of Cards creator Beau Willimon....

Finding Common Ground

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this era of deep partisanship, how can common ground be found on Capitol Hill and on Main Street? In this episode, a pair of party leaders tackle r...

An American Sickness

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Elisabeth Rosenthal writes about our broken healthcare system in her new book, An American Sickness: How Healthcare became Big Business and How You Ca...

The Future Dialogue on Race

09 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

While the subject of race and racism will likely continue to be a contentious topic for years to come, it is a discussion that is imperative for civil...

Inequality and Opportunity

02 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When poet Elizabeth Acevedo taught creative writing to young women of color in a detention center, she recognized their trauma and avoided the teacher...

Space—Why We Explore

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why do human beings explore? And, why are the most adventurous explorers drawn to outer space? Naturalist and astronomer David Aguilar explains why th...

A House Divided

18 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Less than a month into his presidency, Donald Trump made combative and accusatory remarks on Twitter about the intelligence community for a report on ...

Combating Kleptocracy

11 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kleptocracy presents a growing threat to US national security and international peace, as money laundering and other forms of public “grand corrupti...

"Hidden Figures" Author on Storytelling, Race, & Science

04 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Margot Lee Shetterly, author of Hidden Figures, says “It’s one thing to tell your own story, it’s another thing to take responsibility to tell s...

(Mis)Imagining the Future

28 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert describes the foibles of imagination and illusions of foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tom...

The Industries of the Future

21 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If the 20 years from 1995 to 2015 were shaped in significant measure by digitization and the rise of the internet, what’s next? What will define the...

Einstein's Creativity (Rebroadcast)

14 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Albert Einstein was no Einstein when he was a kid. He was slow to talk and was even dubbed “the dopey one.” But, Einstein said, slow development g...

Can We Reclaim Civitas in American Society?

07 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Everything—from the country’s place in the world to the social contract between citizens, government, and the private sector—seems to be knotted...

Richard Haass on a World in Disarray

28 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Chaos in the Middle East, instability in Europe, and a reckless North Korea are signals that the world is increasingly defined by disorder. Author and...

What Is Technology's Toll on Intimacy?

21 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to technology, we are more connected than ever—digitally. But at what cost? How have technologies, like online dating sites and apps like Tin...

How to Survive Our Faster Future

14 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The world is more complex and volatile today than at any other time in modern history. In order to successfully navigate a rapidly changing world, aut...

Race and History

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As the US continues to grapple with issues of race, history is proving to be an invaluable tool to underscore and discuss uncomfortable truths still g...

Universal Basic Income: Can It Renew Our Economy?

31 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Author and former labor union leader Andy Stern thinks universal basic income is the key to solving problems plaguing America’s economy. He wrote ab...

Healthy Gut, Healthy Body

24 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How are diet and lifestyle linked to bacterial communities in the gut? How can growing knowledge about gut health be used to develop new therapies? Re...

How a Nudge Can Change Everything

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Those who study human behavior have learned that simply by encouraging—or “nudging”—individuals toward the right decisions for themselves, dra...

The Obama Legacy

10 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In these final days of Barack Obama’s presidency, we consider how the future will view his leadership. Will economic recovery and health care victor...

The Science of Meditation

03 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What actually happens to the brain when we meditate? Published studies have documented the many physical and mental health benefits of meditation, inc...

On Being a Transgender American

27 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

“I spent the first half of my life being afraid,” says Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of the bestselling memoir of transgender experience, She’s...

Thriving in the Age of Accelerations

21 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Author and New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman says the world has entered an age of dizzying acceleration, and in this episode, he explains ho...

The Curse of Bigness

13 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was the greatest critic of big business and big government since Thomas Jefferson. He served in the early 20th ce...

Infidelity and the Future of Relationships

06 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Why do happily married couples cheat? Why does the modern egalitarian approach to marriage quash desire? Are the heightened expectations we bring to m...

The Choices That Create Your Life

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times columnist David Brooks explores a life well lived. In this episode he examines happiness and commitments. In his book The Road to Chara...

National Security Priorities for President-Elect Trump

22 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Mullen, retired admiral and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the national security challenges the new Trump administration will...

What Should You Be Eating to Live a Longer Life?

15 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and his team study the world’s “Blue Zones,” communities whose elders live with vim and v...

The Four Sources of Happiness (Rebroadcast)

08 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Most people think that happiness has four sources: the sensory pleasures, material wealth, romantic relationships, and children. But recent research s...

Jeff Bezos on High Tech, Space, and Artificial Intelligence

01 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Amazon launched, it employed just ten people. Now it’s one of the largest retailers in the world. CEO Jeff Bezos describes what companies need ...

BONUS Forecasting Election 2016

27 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The countdown to Election Day is on, and political analysts are giving their predictions. In this bonus episode, Charlie Cook and Amy Walter of the Co...

Joe Biden & the Cancer Moonshot Plan

25 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Today, more than 200 known types of cancer exist, and it is the second leading cause of death in the US. In January 2016, President Obama announced a ...

The American Economy & the Election

18 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The economy is a key issue for American voters. In July, more than 80 percent of registered voters polled by the Pew Research Center said the economy ...

On the Road to Artificial Intelligence

11 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Once the realm of science fiction, smart machines are rapidly becoming part of our world—and these technologies offer amazing potential to improve t...

What's Fueling an Angry America?

04 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It’s difficult to ignore anger in the United States right now—talking heads battle on cable news, protesters get violent at campaign rallies, and ...

Notes on Race and Resegregation

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Author Jeff Chang says America has slid back toward segregation in our neighborhoods, schools, colleges and universities, and in our culture. In his n...

Finding Meaning in Our Work

20 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The average American spends a third of his or her life working. What is the secret to achieving happiness because of our work and not in spite of it? ...

Survivors of the Syrian War

13 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The civil war in Syria has raged for five years and killed half a million people. Eleven million refugees have either fled to other countries or are d...

CIA Director John Brennan on ISIL, Russia, & Cyber Threats

06 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a rare interview, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency weighs in on the global security scene and explains the current risks to the Unit...

Humanities in Decline: A Cultural Crisis

30 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Is America turning its back on the humanities? The declining enrollment in disciplines including history, literature, language, philosophy and the art...

Rebuilding Trust Between Police and Communities of Color

23 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

High-profile episodes of violence have highlighted excessive force and mistreatment of people of color by police. And this summer, police have become ...

A Bright Future for Long-Term Coupling

16 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Fisher knows a thing or two about relationships. The Kinsey Institute research fellow and Match.com’s lead scientific advisor has spent her ca...

Originals—How Nonconformists Move the World

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The world doesn’t lack for creative ideas—it lacks people to champion them. Once you have an idea, how do you communicate it? In this episode, Ada...