Past Events

In May, we will celebrate Mother’'s Day, a holiday created by Americans to honor our moms and their influence in society. With the presence of women with children in the workforce increasing, mothers are not only the glue that holds our homes together, but they are also the fuel helping to drive our economic recovery.

This event is being hosted by the Philanthropy Roundtable in partnership with the Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation, the Council on Foundations and the George W. Bush Institute.

For almost 60 years, this premier roundtable has challenged leaders in every field to think more critically and deeply. The seminar is a unique opportunity to step away from the demands of the present and reflect with other leaders in moderated, text-based Socratic dialogue on the concept of a good and just society: What is it? How does it become a reality?

Elizabeth Diller; 2012 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence, The Aspen Institute; Founding Partner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro

in conversation with

Damian Woetzel; Director, Aspen Institute Arts Program

Join us for this exciting new series! Over two years the group will explore six paired themes—perennial human themes which have shaped our world—as they have been taken up from Athens to Aspen, that is, from the ancient period to our contemporary age. Each of the following six paired themes will receive three sessions of discussion with texts drawn from different genres and different periods of human experience: ancient, medieval/renaissance, modern, and post-modern: Friendship and Love (October – December 2012), Authors: Aristotle and Cicero; Aquinas and Montaigne; Emerson and Weil. Law and Justice (January – March 2013), Authors: Plato and Aristotle; Calvin and Shakespeare; Rawls, Arendt, and Hopkins. The Beautiful and the Good (April – June 2013), Authors: Plato and Augustine; Ficino and Schiller; Hawthorne and Rothko. Tragedy and Death (September – November 2013), Authors: Seneca and Montaigne; Nietzsche and Shakespeare; Strauss. Truth and Knowledge (December 2013 – February 2014), Authors: Plato and Lucretius; Bacon and Descartes; Derrida and Stoppard. History and Transcendence (March – May 2014), Authors: Plotinus and Augustine; Kant and Hegel; Eliot and Ortega y Gasset.

Monday evenings 6:30-9:00pm. October 2012-June 2013 
Registration Fee: $225, includes readings and refreshments.  

Few issues today are as vital for American civil society as maintaining our national commitment to religious pluralism and interfaith respect. The nonpartisan Inclusive America Project will report on proven strategies to foster positive interfaith interactions, while developing recommendations and commitments to incorporate those strategies in several key sectors.