Socrates Program: 2016 Socrates Winter Seminars
Join us for a weekend long seminars include roundtable discussion and outdoor activities. Click here to view the agenda.
** Register now **
Who Are Cities For? Opportunity, Access and Hope in the American City; moderated by Jennifer Bradley, founding director of the Center for Urban Innovation at the Aspen Institute.
Cities and regions have long been economic engines and social escalators in this country, because urban density and diversity sparks creativity and innovation in business, arts, culture, and society. The revitalization of our major cities over the last two decades has brought enormous benefits, but now we face the paradox of city resurgence: as our major cities get more attractive for people and businesses, and therefore more expensive, they risk losing the diversity that makes them so compelling and inventive. Gentrification and rising income gaps between the rich and poor raise the question: are cities still for everyone, or have they become a kind of luxury good? How do we create the cities we need for the kind of country we want to be? This seminar will examine the city as a place to live and as a place to work, and consider how to expand opportunity, increase access to the benefits of the city life and preserve the spirit of continual reinvention that animates American cities.
Over the Horizon: Five Trends Shaping the Future of Technology, Education, Business and Society; moderated by William Powers, author of The New York Times bestseller, Hamlet’s BlackBerry and Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy
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 most important trends, both existing and emergent, and how can we prepare for them? What are the specific ways in which technological change is improving our individual and collective lives? What are the dark sides? We’ll look closely at four trends in technology: The Data Revolution, Artificial Intelligence, The Internet of Things and Social Machines. We’ll also discuss the growing chorus of technology skeptics who contend that we’re losing touch with the spiritual, qualitative, human aspects of existence that make life worth living.
The Sharing Economy; moderated by Andrew Ross Sorkin columnist for The New York Times
We were always taught, as children, to share. But is the “shared economy” worth celebrating or condemning? With the emergence of Uber and AirBnB, what does the future of a shared economy look like? What does it mean for employment? How does it change the meaning of ownership? And what about privacy and security concerns? This seminar will explore the burgeoning shared economy, its future and its implications for society.
The cost of the 2016 Winter Seminars is $1950.00
Participants can take advantage of the limited discounted flight options through our travel agent, $25.00 shuttle from Denver to Aspen and discounted lodging rates at the Meadows Resort. We also have generous scholarship assistance availible for first time participants.
The Aspen Institute Socrates Program invites you to join us in Aspen, Colorado, for an exciting weekend of learning and summer activities, February 12-15, 2016. Choose one of three expert-moderated seminars available!