An Ideas Festival Guide for the Intellectually Omnivorous
By: David K Gibson
Tags: Tech, Evil, Aspen Ideas Festival 2017, Democracy, Philosophy

June 25, 2017

Sessions at AIF are divided into program tracks; these provide structure to the festival, and allow both broad overviews and deep dives into defined subject areas. But ideas don’t exist in a vacuum, so you can slice and dice them into your own tracks.

Kum Ba Yah, the No-Conflict Track

This is the program track for people who have had quite enough of conflict lately, thank you. Instead of focusing on the world’s problems, you can focus on living your best life. (Note: Most AIF participants can follow this program for about half a day before they start arguing about GMOs.)

Yoga in the Park

7:00 am — 7:45 am every day

Anderson Park

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

6:45 am — 9:00 am MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Maroon Bells Amphitheatre (Bus Loads at the Limelight Hotel at 6:45 AM)

Explore the primal links between the human brain and the natural world, while actually in the natural world.

Afternoon Jam Session

1:15 pm — 2:45 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Paepcke Auditorium

All kinds of art.

Building Smells: The Art of Perfumery and the Science of Biotechnology

3:00 pm — 4:00 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Buckminster Fuller Dome

In this hands-on (and nose-on) workshop.

Jeff Koons: American Imagination

4:15 pm — 5:15 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Paepcke Auditorium

Jeff Koons and Michael Eisner talk about creating wonder.

Despicable Me 3 (Aspen Premiere)

7:30 pm — 12:00 am MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Paepcke Auditorium

It’s a movie involving small, yellow things wearing overalls.

iPhone Photography Field Workshop: How to Capture the Perfect Photo

6:45 am — 9:00 am MDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Maroon Bells Amphitheatre (Bus Loads at the Limelight Hotel at 6:45 AM)

Go to the Maroon Bells again. This time, take some good photos.

The Movement in Movement (Performance and Discussion)

10:20 am — 11:20 am MDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Paepcke Auditorium

A dance concert featuring “multidisciplinary work addressing equality, racial justice, and the prison system in America.” Seriously, you can’t avoid the big issues here.

Kum Ba Whaaaaa?!, the All-Conflict Track

This track is for people who want to understand why there’s conflict in the first place, and maybe figure out how we can get over it.

Can Faith Help Unite Us in Divided Times?

9:00 am — 10:00 am MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room

Christianity and Islam are in conflict. But maybe they don’t have to be.

To Persuade Others, Pay Attention to Their Values

10:20 am — 11:20 am MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room

If you don’t understand why people reject your point of view — even though you are clearly right — this may be the session for you.

How Do We Build Bridges Across the Most Controversial Issues?

12:00 pm — 1:00 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Marble Garden Tent Lunch Roundtable

Well, talking about it over lunch is a good start.

#Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media

12:00 pm — 1:00 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Aspen Meadows Restaurant

Get out of your bubble, on the double.

Tear Down this Wall

10:20 am — 11:20 am MDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Paepcke Library

We (metaphorically) built it, and now we’re going to have to tear it down.

Whom Can We Trust

12:00 pm — 1:00 pm MDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room

Perhaps distrust of institutions is one of the bricks in this wall, and rebuilding trust is a hammer … well, break down the metaphor, but you know where I’m going here.

How to Be Effective Politically in a Polarized World

3:00 pm — 4:00 pm MDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Buckminster Fuller Dome

And if you can’t tear down the wall, at least learn how to talk to the people on the other side of it.

I was a teenage Philosophy major.

I was, and maybe you were too. This is the stuff I stayed up late thinking about, instead of actually reading Descartes.

Is the Internet a ‘Gift from God’?

10:20 am — 11:20 am MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Koch Tent

It’s omnipresent, and soon to be omniscient. The theodicy question is certainly up in the air.

The Nature of Evil

12:00 pm — 12:55 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

St. Regis Hotel Ballroom

We’re begging the question here, perhaps, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Deep Dive: Lying, Bullshitting, and the Meaning of Truth

1:15 pm — 2:45 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room

A deeply relevant deep dive.

Genomes, Brains, and Microbiomes: Who Are You, Anyway?

5:30 pm — 6:30 pm MDT on Monday, June 26, 2017

Hotel Jerome Ballroom

Also: What if we are merely vehicles that Starbucks cups use to replicate themselves?

The Descent of Man: Will Altering the Course of Evolution Save or Destroy Us?

10:20 am — 11:20 am MDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Paepcke Auditorium

Nature meets nihilism, which can’t help but be interesting.

If you can’t make up your mind, check out even more custom tracks.