Nature and Society Seminar
August 20 - 24, 2008

A wilderness exploration of body, mind, and spirit - the "Aspen Idea"

The Nature and Society Seminar, first launched as the "Wilderness Seminar" in 2005, features moderated discussions of classical and contemporary texts paired with expertly guided hikes in the Colorado Rockies or excursions on Chesapeake Bay. This newly revised program fosters a reflective examination of our relationship to nature, with a unifying theme of the meaning of wilderness in history, religion, aesthetics and philosophy, and the often conflicting values of society and the conservation of nature.

The Institute sites in the Rocky Mountain wilderness surrounding Aspen.  This extraordinary area  was chosen to enjoy and explore nature and the wilderness in the undeveloped and remote environments. With the Nature and Society Seminar, the Institute revisits the "Aspen Idea" - body, mind, and spirit - an ideal complement to the traditional Executive Seminar, or an extraordinary experience on its own.

A trained naturalist joins Institute-trained moderators in discussions of relevant readings ranging from Hobbes, Rousseau, The Bible, Thoreau, Emerson, Muir, Leopold, and Darwin, to Frederick Jackson Turner, Wallace Stegner, William Cronon, E. O. Wilson, Jack Turner, Peter Singer, Roderick Nash, and Jared Diamond. The Seminar probes issues of environmental philosophy and ethics, and also addresses contemporary policy issues including conservation, extinction, sustainable development, and conflicts between developing and developed countries relating to the environment. Participants also discuss art and poetry that take inspiration from nature.

The Aspen-based seminar includes daily wilderness excursions through breathtaking mountain settings, culminating with two nights in a remote but comfortable mountain “hut” (see www.huts.org) at over 11,000 feet in the Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness. The first and last night in the seminar is spent at the Institute's Meadows resort. Participants should be reasonably fit, for the Aspen program, where altitudes over 8,000 feet and mountain trail hiking require moderate exertion. Accommodations are possible for people with disabilities. In this program, expect a stimulating blend of body, mind and spirit -- in the best Aspen Institute tradition.

We are able to offer the Seminar in 2008 at a substantially lower price, and limited financial assistance may be sought.

Fee: $3,500