Socrates Summer Seminars

The Socrates Program is excited to host our annual Summer Seminars this July 11th-14th in Aspen, CO. Seminar tuition is $2,500 and includes meals. Limited partial scholarships are available by application here. 

Is Punishment A Just Response to Harm?

The prevalence of increased crime – whether actual or perceived – remains a top concern for large segments of the U.S. electorate. Over the last few decades, the pendulum has swung from enhanced penalties to outright decriminalization of certain crimes.  This seminar will explore concepts of crime and punishment, and more generally, harm and accountability. We will consider approaches ranging from more traditional frameworks that rely on government to more restorative and community-based responses that focus on reparation of harm between those who are most impacted. Questions we will grapple with include: How do we define harm? Are crime and harm one in the same? How and when should society respond to an act of harm, and who gets to decide?  Finally, does the system itself cause more harm than good? And if so, can any of this really be called justice?

Moderators:

Judge John Zhuo Wang is the Presiding Judge of Midtown Community Justice Center, the country’s first community court providing diversion and alternative-to-incarceration programming to those charged with misdemeanors in the midtown community as well as young adults and those struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. Judge Wang is the first Asian American elected to the 1st Municipal District as a Judge of the NYC Civil Court and previously served as a Housing Judge in Kings County. He is the 2024 recipient of the Hon. Robert T. Russell Jr. Award of Innovation given to jurists who provide “kindness, compassion, leadership, and dedication to the treatment court field.” He currently serves on the New York State Judiciary’s Task Force on Mental Health. 

Amanda Berman has devoted her career to reforming the justice system and supporting those most impacted by it. She currently serves as a Senior Director on the Court Reform team at the Center for Justice Innovation, where she oversees the design and implementation of a wide range of initiatives that work to enhance public safety, promote healing, and reduce the harms of the legal system. Previously, Amanda served as the Project Director at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional community court. Amanda began her career as a public defender at The Bronx Defenders, where she also trained and supervised new attorneys. Amanda is an adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law and is a Salzburg Global Fellow.

How Does Propaganda Shape Our World?

Throughout history, propaganda has been a powerful tool for shaping both private and public opinion. It molds our self-conceptions, personal values, political landscapes, and national identities. Unlike rational discourse, which relies on reason and factual argument, propaganda uses emotionally charged rhetoric and vivid imagery to shift attitudes and perceptions. From Plato’s banishment of artists from the ideal republic, to Machiavelli’s reflections on political manipulation, to the use of art and rhetoric in liberation movements from abolitionism to marriage equality, the question arises: how best to persuade—through reasoned argument or emotional appeal? How do we distinguish propaganda from other forms of persuasive communication? What psychological mechanisms make propaganda so effective? Can propaganda ever be morally justified, or is it inherently manipulative? How can we equip ourselves to discern fact from fabrication in a media-saturated world?

Moderator:

Professor Tamar Gendler is the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and served as the inaugural Dean of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 2014-2024. Her academic research ties the work of ancient Greek and Roman thinkers to contemporary neuroscientific and psychological research on the mind to show how belief, imagination, persuasion, and judgement work. Both in the classroom and onstage, she is renowned for her ability to connect ancient philosophical texts to any modern issue in a way that is both precise and engaging. Gendler has written several books and frequently lectures publicly, with her popular online course “Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature” garnering hundreds of thousands of views. As Dean of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, she recruited hundreds of faculty in social sciences, humanities, and the biological and physical sciences. She has held numerous fellowships and served on boards and steering committees for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; the Smithsonian Institution; and the London School of Economics.

What Does the Future of Work Look Like—And Who Gets to Shape It?

Technology — and especially artificial intelligence — is transforming work and may reshape entire industries before we know it. With these seismic shifts come pressing questions: Will these advancements make our jobs better, or make it harder to earn a living? Can they empower more people to participate meaningfully in the economy, or will they deepen existing divides? What advice should we give our kids about what careers to seek out? What roles should policy, business, and labor play in shaping the future of work? And how do we make sure workers themselves have a voice in what’s being built?

This seminar invites a conversation about how we might use technology to strengthen, rather than undermine, the dignity and purpose of work. What’s possible if we get this right—and what’s at stake if we don’t?

Moderator:

Roy Bahat is the head of Bloomberg Beta, a venture capital firm that was the first to focus on the future of work, and has a particular interest in the effect of AI on work. Bloomberg Beta invested in MasterClass, Slack, Replit, Flexport, and LaunchDarkly, among other startups. Before starting Bloomberg Beta more than a decade ago, Roy started a venture-backed company, was a corporate executive (at News Corp.), in government (at New York’s City Hall), in media, and in academia. He was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. Roy chairs the Aspen Institute’s Business Roundtable on Organized Labor, convening “labor open” business leaders to explore new ways of relating to organized labor and worker power. Following work he did with New America to understand the long-term effect of technology on work in America, Roy was a commissioner on the California Governor’s Future of Work Commission. He also created #thisisnotadvice, a community-edited guide on how to work.

Do We Need To Win The Innovation Race, And If So, At What Cost?

The history of empires is that they rise and fall. As we look at the United States’ current place in the world, how do we judge its current standing, especially in relationship to a rising China? Lately, it seems as if seldom a day goes by without a news story about China gaining a new edge, especially in technology, over the United States. From 5G’s connectivity to TikTok’s algorithms, BYD’s electric vehicles to DeepSeek’s AI, China is moving beyond just advances in sectors to the potential for dominance in the fields of innovation, technology, military, and more.

While the United States attempts to ban many of these products and services from domestic markets, whether leaning on national security reasons and/or supporting American companies and workers, the question remains as to whether China is out-innovating the United States and the Western World more broadly? If so, should it matter? Should we be concerned by Chinese innovation– in AI, drones, electric vehicles, low altitude mobility, autonomous vehicles, and biosciences– or welcome the competition? Is there a value in having China make advances that are currently not politically or legally possible in the United States? What fields should we be most concerned with losing our dominance in? And, most importantly, if we believe that America and the West must win the innovation race, what sacrifices and choices must we make to achieve victory?

The seminar will explore the values, policies, opportunities, and threats in the global innovation race and what winning and losing means for our world.

Moderator:

Ambassador Jorge Guajardo is the former Mexican ambassador to China and a sought-after advisor on Global Risk. Ambassador Guajardo is a trusted advisor to companies at the C-suite level, providing strategic guidance on risk, cyber security, market disruptions, barriers to market entry, government relations, and strategic communication in China, Latin America, and Europe. His tenure as Mexico’s ambassador to China, spanning six years, was marked by numerous achievements, including leading negotiations for trade agreements between the two countries. He has a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is also an Instrument-rated pilot and enjoys flying with his son.

Damien Ma founded Macro Polo, the Paulson Institute’s think tank, where he was until recently its Managing Director. He is also adjunct faculty at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and serves as a senior advisor at Aurora Macro Strategies, a macroeconomic and geopolitical advisory firm. Damien is the author or editor of the books In Line Behind a Billion People: How Scarcity Will Define China’s Ascent in the Next Decade (Pearson); The Economics of Air Pollution in China (Columbia University Press); and China’s Economic Arrival: Decoding a Disruptive Rise (Palgrave MacMillan).

Will AI Bring A New Enlightenment or Digital Despotism?

In the next five years, we will witness one of the most consequential infrastructure builds in human history, with over $1 trillion in AI compute set to create humanity’s new intelligence infrastructure. The collective decisions we make will determine whether the AI Revolution expands human potential or descends into systems of control. How can we design AI systems that enhance rather than diminish human potential? How should we educate leaders to combine technological expertise with deeper understanding of the primary human questions? What AI governance approaches would promote human freedom and avoid centralized control?

This seminar will empower participants to shape an AI-powered future that resists digital despotism and advances a new era of Enlightenment.

Moderator:

Brendan McCord is founder and Chair of the Cosmos Institute, an academy developing philosopher-builders to guide AI toward human flourishing. The institute launched in 2024, establishing the Human-Centered AI Lab at the University of Oxford along with fellowship and fast grants programs. In the private sector, McCord was founding CEO of two AI startups acquired for $400 million, President of an AI lab within an investment holding company that returned billions to its investors, and President and executive team member leading data and AI for a 15,000-person company, the fastest-growing in history in its market.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Socrates seminar?

The Socrates Seminar is a roundtable discussion / collaborative weekend-long event for participants from different fields. Participants are asked to contribute their understanding of and reactions to carefully selected readings, with the guidance of moderators who are experts in their sector. This is not a panel discussion, nor is it a tutorial where the experts share their knowledge.  The roundtable discussion format is a multilateral debate moderated by the moderator(s).  The seminars are held on Aspen Meadows Resort campus.

How many seminars can I participate in?

You will register for one seminar of up to 24 participants for the entire weekend. Meals and programming will be enjoyed with the entire group which includes participants from all five concurrent seminars.

What if my preferred seminar is sold out?

Unfortunately, each seminar is capped at a certain amount and we might not be able to accommodate your request. We urge you to apply as soon as possible but if you would like to discuss the seminars further, please reach out the Socrates Team directly via email and one of our team members will assist you.

What does tuition cover?

Tuition includes seminar attendance and materials and all meals during the program, which begins at 6pm on Friday evening and ends at 1pm on Monday after lunch.

Where can I stay?

We have a room block at the Aspen Meadows Resort, where the seminars are held, with a negotiated room rate of $368 per night for the duration of the seminar. There are also a range of hotels in Aspen that we can suggest for participants looking to not stay on campus.

Are scholarships available?

Scholarships for tuition assistance are available through the Socrates Program. The application can be found here. Please note: Scholarships are awarded on a rolling bases. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Can I do a Socrates seminar on a budget?

We offer partial to full scholarships. Please apply here to be considered.  Scholarships generally cover tuition, which includes all meals, but not travel. Flights into Denver, which is a roughly 4 hour drive from Aspen, tend to be more economical. If you choose to fly into Denver and are interested in ridesharing, we will connect you with other participants who are driving. For those looking to roomshare, we will also work to connect you with other participants looking to share the cost of a room.

Can I bring a guest?

If you would like to bring a guest to join you for meals, you are welcome to for $600.00. These both can be purchased as add-ons when you register.

What transportation will be provided at the event?

If you are a guest of the Aspen Meadows Resort, they will take care of your arrival and departure transportation to and from the airport. If you are staying at an alternative location, taxis and a free local bus are available.

The Aspen Meadows offers a complimentary shuttle that runs into Aspen every 30 minutes.

What is the timing of the seminars and programming for the weekend?

To join for the whole experience, you will want to arrive in Aspen by 6pm on Friday and depart after 12pm on Monday. In the summer, we start our seminars with an opening night cocktail hour/dinner and seminars run from 8am-12pm until Monday.

You are welcome to explore and engage with everything Aspen has to offer in the afternoons. We have partnered with Blazing Adventures to offer some special trips to Socrates participants. 

What is the dress codes for the seminar? 

Although we do not require a specific dress code, most people dress business casual and comfortable in the seminar rooms and bring something a bit more dressy for the evenings. We recommend that you dress for warmth and comfort in both the Winter and Summer. Please wear sturdy shoes that will allow you to walk through snow and/or mud.