Aspen Ideas to Go

Social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson is the subject in the new movie, “Just Mercy.” The film, starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, is based on Stevenson’s memoir with the same name. Stevenson, an attorney, founded the Equal Justice Initiative and has advocated for the release of more than 100 prisoners on death row. He’s passionate about fighting against racial injustice and using history to help America confront its troubling past. In 2018, his organization opened The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, Alabama. In his conversation with former Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust, he talks about how now is the time to change the narrative around issues of race. This is a rebroadcast. Stevenson and Faust spoke in 2016. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

In the United States, the number of people attending church is declining. So where are people going to find meaning and community? Casper ter Kuile, Harvard ministry innovation fellow, says fitness classes, advocacy groups, and maker’s spaces are taking the place of congregations – they’re providing people with a sense of identity. Casper ter Kuile speaks with other spirituality experts in a conversation that touches on how modern-day communities can quash widespread feelings of social isolation and disconnectedness. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal thinks American democracy is at risk if President Trump isn’t held accountable for abusing his office’s power for political gain. In December, the US House impeached Trump. Now Katyal believes the Senate should vote to remove him from office. Katyal, who has argued dozens of cases before the Supreme Court, says Trump’s actions — asking foreign powers to interfere in the 2020 presidential election — are exactly what the country’s Founders warned against when they granted Congress the power to impeach. Katyal speaks with Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at Slate. Their conversation was held January 3, 2020. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Why is it that simple pleasures such as bubbles, rainbows, and hot air balloons bring joy to most people? Designer Ingrid Fetell Lee says, “there’s something really powerful in the idea that we all find joy in the same things,” especially items with little significance otherwise. Fetell Lee studied how our physical environment impacts our well-being, both physically and psychologically. She believes that our surroundings can be a powerful tool for cultivating happier, healthier lives … and joyful moments. In this episode, she talks about the difference between happiness and joy and how we can stimulate our senses to produce joy. Fetell Lee is the author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. aspenideas.org

In the age of streaming entertainment, there’s Apple, Disney, Comcast, and many others. But it began with Netflix. In 2013 Netflix shifted from a distribution company (remember the mailed DVDs?) to a distribution and content creation business. Some of the company’s first shows were hits like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, describes this transition and how the company has grown since. He tells Derek Thompson, staff writer for The Atlantic, how Netflix is keeping up in an increasingly crowded streaming market, and why a changing entertainment business is a good thing for artists. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

In July of 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to ever free-solo climb the face of Yosemite’s El Capitan. He climbed nearly 3,000 vertical feet alone and without ropes. The historic feat was captured in the Academy Award-winning film, “Free Solo.” He says self-confidence helped him complete the climb. “If you get scared while free-soloing, [your self-confidence] starts to crumble a little bit. You start to not trust your feet…they’re more likely to slip. Everything can spiral negatively.” He speaks with New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens about the line between daring and recklessness, and how the mammoth climb has impacted every part of his life — from relationships to fame and future climbing pursuits. aspenideas.org

Writers Tara Westover and Sarah Smarsh grew up in rural parts of the mid-section of America and chronicled the stories of their childhoods in best-selling books. While the books vary in emphasis, structure, and theme, both writers agree that people in the Heartland are easily stereotyped by the national media and politicians. “There’s a real gulf between the story we tell ourselves about a country and those conflict- and ratings-driven conversations in New York City studios, and what happens on-the-ground in local communities,” says Smarsh. They tell James Fallows, author of Our Towns, about what needs to change to eliminate these damaging stereotypes. Smarsh and Westover also describe how they’re using their platforms to address some of the most complex challenges that rural communities face today. Smarsh is the author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Riches Country on Earth. Westover wrote the book, Educated. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Artificial intelligence isn’t something we’ll see in the future. Thinking machines are already here, and nine powerful companies in the US and China control their development. The spam filter in your email inbox is AI. So are programs like Google Translate. The next level for thinking machines is when they begin learning the way humans learn. As artificial intelligence gets refined, who’s keeping track of whether these machines share our motivations, desires, and hopes for the future of humanity? Amy Webb, author of The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity, speaks with Alexis Madrigal, a staff writer for The Atlantic who covers Silicon Valley. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

In the 2016 presidential election, more than 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for President Trump. At one point (in the 19th century) evangelicals were associated with malcontents who fought for prison reform, abolitionism, and even early feminism. Now, this group is “the most loyal and most vital element of the Trump coalition,” says Michael Gerson, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post. He sits down with Kate Bowler, author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, David French, senior writer for National Review, and Chris Buskirk, editor and publisher of American Greatness. In 2016, some pundits thought evangelicals wouldn’t support Trump, who’s been accused of sexual assault and married three times. How can this deeply faithful group rally behind a president whose behaviors and values don’t exactly match up to traditional Christian mores? The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Two Pulitzer Prize-winning historians explain the difference between myth and reality in American history. David Blight, a professor at Yale, says we use myths to help process history, which can be dismal. “Much of history is dark because human nature is dark. We sometimes have to process the past in sentimentalism — in stories that allow us to wake up in the morning.” Annette Gordon-Reed, an American legal history professor at Harvard, says the point of history is to figure out how you got to where you are in present-day. Blight and Gordon-Reed sit down with John Dickerson, correspondent for “60 Minutes,” to discuss correcting America’s historical memory. They touch on historical events like the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, and whether reparations for injustice are realistic. The views and opinions of the podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org