Aspen Ideas to Go

Walter Isaacson is fascinated by innovators — the kinds of geniuses whose ideas have transformed industry, science, and society. Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Benjamin Franklin each grabbed his attention in ways that allow us, as readers, to discover the depth and breadth of their brilliant thinking and creative sensibilities. Now comes Leonardo da Vinci, whose boundless curiosity renders him perhaps the greatest creative genius of all time. Isaacson explains the lessons that da Vinci left behind that we can apply to our own lives. He speaks with David Rubenstein about his book Leonardo da Vinci, which was released in bookstores today. Find our companion episode, "Einstein's Creativity," by clicking here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

Why do happily married couples cheat? Why does the modern egalitarian approach to marriage quash desire? Are the heightened expectations we bring to modern love combined with our pursuit of happiness directly related to infidelity? In this special rebroadcast, author and couples therapist Esther Perel tackles the topic of infidelity. Her book The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity was released October 10, 2017. Perel is interviewed by Hanna Rosin, co-host of NPR’s Invisibilia. This week's recommended companion episode is "Unfinished Business with Anne-Marie Slaughter." Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

World-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs is distressed about the political and social atmosphere in the United States. With advances in technology, he says we can choose to do the ultimate good or create unimaginable disaster. Why aren’t we ending poverty, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, and protecting the earth’s biodiversity? He believes it’s because smart policy decisions in Washington are being held up by special interests. In this episode, he talks to Steve Clemons, Washington editor-at-large for The Atlantic, about globalization, health care policy, and why the US needs a “ministry of planning.” Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Find additional notes from the show in our blog. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

The “next economy,” or digital revolution, is restructuring every business, job, and sector of society. By 2055, it’s estimated that half of today’s work activities will be automated. Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, says we should be harnessing technology, rather than fearing it, to grow jobs and increase economic activity. He speaks with Charles Duhigg, senior editor and columnist for The New York Times, about O’Reilly’s new book WTF?: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us. This week’s recommended companion episode is “How to Survive Our Faster Future.” Find it here. Find additional notes from the show in our blog. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

The tiny town of Norwich, Vermont, has likely produced more Olympians per capita than anywhere else in the United States. Over the past thirty years, the town of 3,000 has sent an athlete to almost every Winter Olympics. New York Times sports writer Karen Crouse traveled to Norwich to discover the town’s secret. Also in this episode, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred discusses taking the professionalism out of youth sports, and creating a simpler, more informal atmosphere of play. Featuring onstage talks from the 2017 Project Play Summit, held by the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

As Latino Americans emerge as the majority minority and the new mainstream, representing 18 percent of the US population, questions are emerging about how Latinos fit into the national narrative. Latinos are revitalizing rural communities, starting businesses, and entering the workforce and educational system at record rates, yet they're often lost among the traditional storylines of race and identity. How is this population handling political pressures like the Wall, deportation, and President Trump's announcement that he's ending DACA? Featuring former Univision President Henry Cisneros, host of NPR’s “Latino USA” Maria Hinojosa, Janet Marguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, and Monica Lozano, chair of the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

What are the consequences of the United States backing out of the Paris Climate Agreement? In June, the Trump administration announced the move. In this episode, former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says exiting the Agreement is bad for science-based decision making, national and energy security, and innovation. However, he says, there’s one note of optimism: cities, states, and the business community are primed to keep the country on course to the low carbon future that we need. Moniz speaks with Susan Tierney, a senior advisor at Analysis Group. aspenideas.org

Has the great American experiment in liberty gone off the rails? Kurt Andersen’s latest book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500 Year History, is a provocative chronicle of magical thinking and make-believe. It provides a new paradigm for understanding the post-factual present, where reality and illusion are dangerously blurred. He and journalist Jeffrey Goldberg discuss the history that religion plays in America’s roots and world view. According to Andersen, history shows Americans have a peculiar knack for believing the unbelievable — for being suckers for those who want to sucker them. aspenideas.org

The Trump Administration has said it’s “committed to a foreign policy focused on American interests and American national security.” Critics have said Trump is isolating the US by withdrawing from the Paris agreement, waffling on a commitment to NATO, and abandoning the TPP. But, this month the president deepened American involvement abroad by announcing the US would deploy more troops to Afghanistan. It’s a conflict he once called “futile,” reports the New York Times. What is the Trump doctrine on foreign policy? Featuring Julia Ioffe, reporter for The Atlantic, David Petraeus, former CIA director, Peter Feaver, Duke political science professor, and David Rothkopf, CEO of The Rothkopf Group. This week’s recommended companion episode is “Combating Kleptocracy.” Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org

CRISPR is the cheapest, simplest, and most effective way of manipulating DNA. It has the power to give us the cure to HIV, genetic diseases, and some cancers. It could even help address the world’s hunger crisis. But, it may result in unforeseen consequences. The technology could lead to intentionally mutating embryos to create “better” humans. Jennifer Doudna, whose research helped create CRISPR, speaks with Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson about the latest technological developments in gene editing and the unthinkable power to control evolution. Doudna wrote the book A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution with her fellow researcher Samuel Sternberg. This week’s recommended companion episode is “Should We Design Our Babies?.” Find it here. Follow the show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. aspenideas.org