Aspen Ideas to Go

When your dog wags its tail or welcomes you home, what are they thinking about? How do they perceive you and the world around them? Two canine cognition scientists, Alexandra Horowitz and Brian Hare, share what dogs know, understand, and believe. This field of research is growing and these scientists are gaining valuable insight in the minds of America’s most popular pet. Show Notes Listen to The Bauhaus Roots of Aspen from Aspen Insight. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Should rules govern demeaning, disparaging, and degrading speech directed at certain groups? How can we resist hate while protecting free speech? Nadine Strossen, longtime president of the ACLU, says hate speech, as painful as it may be, is justifiably protected. Instead of censoring hate speech, she advocates fighting it with free speech. In her conversation with Conor Friedersdorf, staff writer for The Atlantic, she dispels the idea that censorship effectively counters the impacts of hate speech. Strossen is the author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship. Show Notes Listen to Joshua Johnson's conversation with Imam Khalid Latif. It's part of our Off Stage series on spirituality. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Young people tend to say “LOL” and “like” a lot. Business jargon — such as “What’s the ask?”— is surfacing in boardrooms. Is the English language deteriorating before our ears? Linguist and author John McWhorter pushes back, saying these modern terms are examples of language evolving. Words’ meanings have always changed and those shifts will continue. “Language is like clouds,” says McWhorter. “If the clouds are in the same position they were in when we came in, something’s wrong.” In this conversation with Georgetown linguistics professor Deborah Tannen, he talks about his book Words on the Move and explains why we shouldn’t be frustrated when language changes. Show Notes Watch John McWhorter's talk, Adjusting to Modernity in American English, from the Aspen Ideas Festival. McWhorter is also featured in the Ideas Festival panel discussion, Just Words. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

What does it take to rock climb one of the world’s hardest routes at night in the bitter cold? Tommy Caldwell, an accomplished climber, says he summoned focus, drive, and endurance to summit Yosemite’s nearly vertical 3,000 foot Dawn Wall. He completed the climb with partner Kevin Jorgeson in January of 2015. Since then, he’s written a memoir, The Push, that chronicles the climb and the life experiences that led to it. Caldwell is also featured in two films: “The Dawn Wall” and “Free Solo,” which is considered to be on the short list for an Oscar nomination. In this episode, he speaks with mountaineer and climber Penn Newhard about conquering fear, cultivating tenacity, and turning failure into growth. Show Notes Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

What qualities make a good leader? Are leaders born with these attributes or can they be learned? In her seventh book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin writes about the lives of four presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Though their backgrounds were different, these men shared a powerful ambition and resilience that carried them through hardship. Goodwin writes that they were “guided by a sense of moral purpose.” She speaks with Kitty Boone, vice president of public programs at the Aspen Institute, about how the presidents’ leadership traits can be adopted and used by aspiring leaders. Show Notes Listen to The Impact of the Women's Wave from Aspen Insight. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

The number of college students dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety is growing. Psychology professor Laurie Santos noticed it in her Yale classroom and set out to change the campus culture. Her course “Psychology and the Good Life” is the most popular class in Yale’s 300-year history. In this episode, she talks about her efforts to infuse wellness into her students’ lives. She gives a crash course on how to feel less stressed and depressed, and find more meaning in your life. It’s applicable to everyone—whether you’re an undergraduate or a retiree. Show Notes Register for the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Imam Khalid Latif is New York University’s first Muslim chaplain. In this political and cultural moment, he says students deal with issues around race and religious intolerance. “A lot of identities in the United States are seen through the prism of racialized identities.” In his interview with WAMU’s Joshua Johnson, he talks about Islamophobia, building interfaith bridges, and the role of religion in one’s life. The "Off Stage Series" goes into the issues that impact all of us. These conversations feature presenters at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Off Stage is part of the Aspen Ideas to Go podcast. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Shira Stutman is senior rabbi at a historic synagogue in Washington, DC that’s doing innovative things. The ‘Sixth & I’ is a non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditional Jewish synagogue. Talks, concerts, and comedy shows are held there with a goal to enlighten and inspire people to live more meaningful lives. In her conversation with “1A” host Joshua Johnson, Stutman describes how religion is helping mend societal divides and how her synagogue is connecting with community. The "Off Stage Series" goes into the issues that impact all of us. These conversations feature presenters at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Off Stage is part of the Aspen Ideas to Go podcast. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Can faith help unite us in divided times? How are religious leaders navigating divisions inside and outside their places of worship? Adam Hamilton ministers to about 20,000 Methodists in and around Kansas City. He says he’s determined to mend the deep divisions he sees in his congregation. He speaks with guest host Joshua Johnson. Johnson hosts “1A,” a national news/talk radio show produced by WAMU in Washington, DC. The "Off Stage Series" goes into the issues that impact all of us. These conversations feature presenters at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Off Stage is part of the Aspen Ideas to Go podcast. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

Why is it that we think boys are good at math and girls are more empathetic? Or that boys can’t focus in the classroom and girls are obsessed with relationships? These sometimes damaging gender stereotypes have become part of our culture, but are they backed up by science? Neuroscientist Lise Eliot says our default assumption is that our gender differences are hardwired, but that’s not the case. In her book Pink Brain Blue Brain, she uses research and her work on neuroplasticity to debunk our traditional thinking. She speaks with Michael Kimmel, sociology and gender studies professor at Stony Brook University. Show Notes Listen to our Off Stage episode featuring Maldivian climate activist Thilmeeza Hussain. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org