Aspen Ideas Festival 2017

The Aspen Ideas Festival brings scientists, artists, politicians, business leaders, historians, educators, activists and other great minds together to present, debate and discuss some of the most important ideas and issues of our time. For the 13th year, hundreds of Festival presenters will contribute unique perspectives from diverse sectors, with objectives to deepen understanding, enliven dialogue and perhaps inspire further action.

From lectures to debates to one-on-one interviews and more, days are filled from early morning to late evening. Attendees have exceptional opportunities to interact with public officials, artists, scientists, authors, business executives, scholars, economists, foreign policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all kinds — on footpaths and sidewalks, over lunch on the lawn or coffee at the espresso bar, in auditoriums and in small seminar rooms. The intimacy of Festival gatherings renders the experience unique and unforgettable.

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The Festival was divided into three parts:

Spotlight Health / June 22 – 25
Festival 1 / June 25 – June 28
Festival 2 / June 28 – July 1

Programming Tracks

Read about 2017 Program Tracks

Spotlight Health:

• Caregiving
• Intersections
• Moonshots
• The Brain

Festival 1:

• Global Conflicts: Are There Paths to Peace?
• Making It in the USA
• Moral Commitments, Moral Choices
• Reimagining the Internet
• The America I Know
• The Art of Change
• The Genetics Revolution

Festival 2:

• Feeling the Heat: The Big Ideas on Climate
• Global Conflicts: Are There Paths to Peace?
• Inside Creativity
• Making It in the USA
• The America I Know
• The Art of Change
• Thinking About the Thinking Machine