Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
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Socrates Japan, Nara 2019

Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.

Dec 6 – 8 2019
Nara, Japan

Date

Dec 6 – 8 2019
12:00am

Location

Nara, Japan

Contact

    socrates@aspeninstitute.org
    202-736-3843

Hosts

  1. Socrates Program

Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute – Japan, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from December 6-8, 2019. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours. Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel.

Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business and Society

Artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing life on earth. Everything we do, from raising families to running businesses to governing huge societies in currently being reshaped by these technologies. What are the most important coming changes and how can we prepare for them? How is AI altering the workplace and the roles humans play in it? We’ll examine the rise of what some are calling “surveillance capitalism” as the dominant business tech model, and consider its broader political and social implications. Finally, we’ll consider the humanistic questions that these technologies are bringing to the fore. Are we on the path to a better world or have we gone down a dark alley? Are we losing touch with the qualitative, spiritual aspects of existence that make life worth living? Some believe that we can endow AI with human values and ideals that will ensure this revolution goes to a good place. Is this a realistic endeavor or a quixotic dream?

Moderator:

 William Powers, Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab and best-selling author of Hamlet’s Blackberry.

Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute – Japan, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from December 6-8, 2019. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours. Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel.

Order Amid Chaos: Major Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Business and Society

Artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing life on earth. Everything we do, from raising families to running businesses to governing huge societies in currently being reshaped by these technologies. What are the most important coming changes and how can we prepare for them? How is AI altering the workplace and the roles humans play in it? We’ll examine the rise of what some are calling “surveillance capitalism” as the dominant business tech model, and consider its broader political and social implications. Finally, we’ll consider the humanistic questions that these technologies are bringing to the fore. Are we on the path to a better world or have we gone down a dark alley? Are we losing touch with the qualitative, spiritual aspects of existence that make life worth living? Some believe that we can endow AI with human values and ideals that will ensure this revolution goes to a good place. Is this a realistic endeavor or a quixotic dream?

Moderator:

 William Powers, Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab and best-selling author of Hamlet’s Blackberry.

Socrates Montenegro Seminar

Organized in partnership with Aspen Institute Germany and Aspen Institute Romania, the first-ever Socrates seminar in Montenegro will bring together leaders to explore the challenges of democratic backsliding, the importance of rule of law, and the essence of values-based leadership.

Socrates 2025 New Zealand Seminar

Join us for this exclusive Critical Conversation, moderated by Vivian Schiller, internationally renowned former media executive, current Aspen Institute Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital. ‘Will We Ever Trust the News Again’ will examine the challenges facing the industry – and crucially, the promising paths towards a solution.

2025 Socrates Romania Transatlantic Seminar

This Transatlantic Socrates Seminar will discuss ways to advance the development of a comprehensive and dynamic yet operational approach to resilience. As the current security crisis has driven historic developments in Europe and beyond, it is now increasing pressure to demonstrate that liberal democracy delivers, including security and defense.

2025 Socrates Moldova Seminar

Over the 3 days of the Seminar, we will explore, in a tense geo-political and geo-economic regional context, how the resilience of our societies, certainly in the countries in Central-Eastern Europe, must be constantly strengthened.

Socrates Colombia 2025

Join the Socrates Program for the first Socrates seminars to be held in Medellín, Colombia on May 15-17, 2025!

2025 Socrates España Seminar

Set at the El Vilar de la Duquessa in Cardona, our seminar “RISING GENERATIONS: Imagining the Human Future” explores the what humanity’s future will look like and how we can prepare.
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Socrates UK 2025 Seminar

In an era of rapid technological change, shifting political landscapes, and increasing scrutiny, leadership requires a delicate balance – navigating complex regulations while fostering innovation and strategic agility.

Socrates Program: 2025 Summer Seminars

The Socrates Program is excited to host our annual Summer Seminars this July 11th-14th! The seminar tuition is $2,500. Limited scholarships are available by application.

2025 Socrates Central Europe Seminar

Digital technology is radically changing just about everything we do, from raising families to running businesses. Optimists welcome this shift, arguing that technology is growing up and starting to take care of us. Are they right? What are the specific ways in which technological change is improving our individual and collective lives? What are the dark sides? Do the new technology trends we hear so much about have costs as well as benefits?

Socrates San Francisco – Is technology the new religion?

As our unified social values fragment and organized religion falls to the lowest levels of participation on record, people are seeking meaning. Belief in biohacking and the singularity now resemble tenets of a new faith. Since before the advent of the printing press and the Gutenberg Bible, technology and religion have had a complex and mutually beneficial relationship. While technology in the past augmented religion, join us as we ponder whether technology has itself become a new religion.