Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
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Socrates Japan, Nara 2025

Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.

May 23 – 25 2025
Nara, Japan

Date

May 23 – 25 2025
12:00am

Location

Nara, Japan

Contact

    socrates@aspeninstitute.org
    202-736-3550

Hosts

  1. Socrates Program

Lauder-Kobayashi Socrates Seminar

Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute Japan, and generously supported by the Lauder-Kobayashi Scholarship, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from May 23-25, 2025. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours.

Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel. Please contact socrates@aspeninstitute.org if you are interested in participating.

Wielding Power & Influence

Power plays a pivotal role in societies and organizations, but we often fail to analyze the way it impacts how we think, relate, and feel. As Saul Alinsky put it, “Power is the very essence, the dynamo of life. It is the power of the heart pumping blood and sustaining life in the body. It is the power of active citizen participation pulsing upward, providing a unified strength for a common purpose”. This Seminar offers participants the possibility to step back and develop a conceptual framework for understanding power and influence. It relies on case studies, biographical texts, and contemporary readings to discuss what constitutes an ethical exercise of power, analyze power bases and influence styles and how we lead in a variety of contexts and situations.

Moderator: José M. de Areilza

has a double appointment as Professor in the Department of Law and in the Department of General Management and Strategy at ESADE Business School, Barcelona. He is also the Secretary General of Aspen Institute España.

Organized in partnership with:

 

Lauder-Kobayashi Socrates Seminar

Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute Japan, and generously supported by the Lauder-Kobayashi Scholarship, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from May 23-25, 2025. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours.

Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel. Please contact socrates@aspeninstitute.org if you are interested in participating.

Wielding Power & Influence

Power plays a pivotal role in societies and organizations, but we often fail to analyze the way it impacts how we think, relate, and feel. As Saul Alinsky put it, “Power is the very essence, the dynamo of life. It is the power of the heart pumping blood and sustaining life in the body. It is the power of active citizen participation pulsing upward, providing a unified strength for a common purpose”. This Seminar offers participants the possibility to step back and develop a conceptual framework for understanding power and influence. It relies on case studies, biographical texts, and contemporary readings to discuss what constitutes an ethical exercise of power, analyze power bases and influence styles and how we lead in a variety of contexts and situations.

Moderator: José M. de Areilza

has a double appointment as Professor in the Department of Law and in the Department of General Management and Strategy at ESADE Business School, Barcelona. He is also the Secretary General of Aspen Institute España.

Organized in partnership with:

 

Socrates Montenegro Seminar

Organized in partnership with Aspen Institute Germany and Aspen Institute Romania, the first-ever Socrates seminar in Montenegro will bring together leaders to explore the challenges of democratic backsliding, the importance of rule of law, and the essence of values-based leadership.

Socrates 2025 New Zealand Seminar

Join us for this exclusive Critical Conversation, moderated by Vivian Schiller, internationally renowned former media executive, current Aspen Institute Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital. ‘Will We Ever Trust the News Again’ will examine the challenges facing the industry – and crucially, the promising paths towards a solution.

Sarah Frey

2025 Socrates Romania Transatlantic Seminar

This Transatlantic Socrates Seminar will discuss ways to advance the development of a comprehensive and dynamic yet operational approach to resilience. As the current security crisis has driven historic developments in Europe and beyond, it is now increasing pressure to demonstrate that liberal democracy delivers, including security and defense.

2025 Socrates Moldova Seminar

Over the 3 days of the Seminar, we will explore, in a tense geo-political and geo-economic regional context, how the resilience of our societies, certainly in the countries in Central-Eastern Europe, must be constantly strengthened.

Socrates Colombia 2025

Join the Socrates Program for the first Socrates seminars to be held in Medellín, Colombia on May 15-17, 2025!

2025 Socrates España Seminar

Set at the El Vilar de la Duquessa in Cardona, our seminar “RISING GENERATIONS: Imagining the Human Future” explores the what humanity’s future will look like and how we can prepare.
Blavatnik School of Government Oxford

Socrates UK 2025 Seminar

In an era of rapid technological change, shifting political landscapes, and increasing scrutiny, leadership requires a delicate balance – navigating complex regulations while fostering innovation and strategic agility.

Socrates Program: 2025 Summer Seminars

The Socrates Program is excited to host our annual Summer Seminars this July 11th-14th! The seminar tuition is $2,500. Limited scholarships are available by application.

2025 Socrates Central Europe Seminar

Digital technology is radically changing just about everything we do, from raising families to running businesses. Optimists welcome this shift, arguing that technology is growing up and starting to take care of us. Are they right? What are the specific ways in which technological change is improving our individual and collective lives? What are the dark sides? Do the new technology trends we hear so much about have costs as well as benefits?