Aspen Ideas to Go

Raising a teenager can be a lot of work and there's hard science behind why adolescence is so challenging. Laurence Steinberg authored the book "Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence." In this episode, he talks about how brain development doesn't stop at age three. There's another period where the brain is malleable: during adolescence. These years are key in determining individuals' life outcomes. How should we change the way we parent, educate, and understand young people? aspenideas.org

Tom Kelley, author of Creative Confidence and partner at IDEO, says creativity and innovation aren't only reserved for "creative types," but everyone can tap into creative potential. In this episode, he recounts the stories of individuals who doubted their creativity but overcame fear to go on to do highly creative things. Also, we hear from leading neuroscientist Dr. Nancy Andreasen who researches highly creative people and how they think. Her work also examines the roles of nature v. nurture and the relationship between creativity and mental illness. aspenideas.org

What has the Obama Administration done for women and girls? How will their women and girls initiatives continue after the president leaves office? Tina Tchen, executive director for the White House Council on Women and Girls, talks about what's been done on the federal level since President Obama took office. She speaks with Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post as part of the Aspen Forum on Women and Girls at the Aspen Institute. The event in March precedes the United State of Women Summit on May 23rd in Washington DC. aspenideas.org

When it comes to the bottom line, corporate social responsibility sometimes pays, but sometimes does not, according to Jonathan Haidt of the NYU Stern School of Business. This episode features his lecture at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He says studies back up the notion that creating an ethical culture within your organization, and treating your employees well, always pays in the long run. Learn how business leaders and government regulators can work together to do much better "ethical systems design." The stakes are high because doing this well would boost productivity and the GDP. aspenideas.org

Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic figures by examining Jesus within the context of the times in which he lived: the age of zealotry. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources, Aslan describes a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity secret; and the seditious "King of the Jews," whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his lifetime. aspenideas.org

In his book "The Black Presidency," Michael Eric Dyson explores the powerful, surprising way the politics of race have shaped Barack Obama’s identity and groundbreaking presidency. How has President Obama dealt publicly with race —as the national traumas of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Walter Scott have played out during his tenure? What can we learn from Obama's major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes? Dyson is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University. A former factory worker, an ordained Baptist minister and a onetime church pastor, Dyson earned a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton, and has also taught at Brown, Columbia, the University of North Carolina, DePaul University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Dyson has written 17 books, including national best sellers on the Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and the rapper Tupac Shakur. This episode features his conversation with the Aspen Institute CEO and president Walter Isaacson. aspenideas.org

In 1987, E.D. Hirsch sparked a national debate with his book "Cultural Literacy," claiming that there is a foundation of common knowledge every American should know - and codifying it in a list of 5,000 facts and cultural references. Today, amidst giant demographic and social shifts, the United States needs such common knowledge more than ever. But a 21st century sense of cultural literacy has to be radically more diverse and inclusive. And it needs to come not from one person but from all of us. Eric Liu, executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizen and American Identity Program, asks Anne-Marie Slaughter (president of New America), Jose Antonio Vargas (Pulitzer Prize-winning author), and Hirsh what they think it means to be American. aspenideas.org

Actress Ashley Judd is an advocate and activist who has traveled the world promoting empowerment and equality, effective grassroots programs, and strategies to advance women's health, curb HIV, alleviate poverty and much more. As a global champion for women, she has led major campaigns to reduce maternal mortality and increase resources for women and girls. Later in the episode: The Best Thinking about the Transformative Power of Women and Girls featuring a stellar lineup including Arianna Huffington, Jane Harman, Shiza Shahid of the Malala Fund, and others. aspenideas.org

In honor of President's Day, biographer Jon Meacham explores Jefferson's complicated legacy and suggests how we might reclaim the Jeffersonian insistence that political leaders be conversant with the philosophical and cultural currents of their time. Meacham wrote the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power." aspenideas.org

Hear what former prisoner Shaka Senghor, who was incarcerated for 19 years and now directs strategy for the bipartisan initiative #cut50, has to say about President Obama's recent pledge to end solitary confinement for juveniles and low-level offenders. Senghor shares his insights from seven years in solitary in one of the nation's most violent prisons. Since 1980, the number of people incarcerated in the United States has more than quadrupled; the US now has the largest prison population in the world. aspenideas.org