What We Believe and Why: An Exploration of Values

How do religious values implicitly, as well as explicitly, influence our values? What sorts of religious institutions stand at the heart of our civic life, and do they affect our values by their presence? To what degree are our most cherished Western values actually the same or the result of our most cherished religious values, and what will happen to those seemingly secular values when they are cut off from religious tradition after two, three, four, or more generations? Prominent religious leaders and thinkers discuss what sustains our values when we seemingly pay attention to traditional religion less and less. Speakers: Diana Eck, Steven Leder, Elaine Pagels, Jane Shaw, Anna Deavere Smith

Two very different scholars of American society look at the United States and the growing gap in values and behaviors among communities and classes within them. What is happening and why? What do we do to restore our sense of common purpose? And most of all, what is at risk? Moderated by David Gergen. Speakers: Charles Murray, Robert D. Putnam, David Gergen

It’s generally accepted that America is running a trust deficit, but there isn’t enough discussion about what we should do to close the trust gap. In an election year, this is an extremely relevant topic with potential to be provocative in the most constructive way. Speakers: Ronald Brownstein, Steven Leder, George J. Mitchell, Thomas J. Wilson, Berl Bernhard

This study of What Americans Believe, conducted by Penn Schoen Berland for the Aspen Ideas Festival in partnership with The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute, provides a detailed assessment of what Americans say their values are. From death to taxes, the economy to politics, family, religion, science, education, free speech, and beyond, this survey of 2,000 Americans identifies the issues that divide us and the ties that unite us as a nation.

Should we pay children to read books or get good grades? What about hiring mercenaries to fight our wars, paying people to sell their organs, or auctioning admission to elite universities? Drawing on themes from his new book, What Money Can’t Buy, Michael Sandel leads a lively discussion of one of the biggest ethical issues of our time: What should be the role of money and markets in our society? Speakers: Michael J. Sandel

In our current market society, where everything and everyone is potentially a commodity, we need to develop our moral imaginations. We can do this through active engagement with the arts and humanities—which opens the way for us to explore our values and speak across our cultural divides. A moral imagination enables us to develop empathy, an enlarged sense of community, and a consideration for the other. Speakers: Jane Shaw

Special Master of the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Kenneth Feinberg discusses how the law values human life and how compensation can reflect self-worth in the eyes of the recipient. Kenneth Feinberg is interviewed by Steve Clemmons.

Since 1950, the Aspen Institute has offered seminars committed to the idea of values-based leadership. This session will discuss leadership for the 21st century, arguing that successful, values-driven leaders pay coordinated attention to the person, the person’s organizational and community affiliations, and the systemic frameworks that define both. We consider the likelihood that all leaders express values, whether or not we share them; ask what values drive the leaders whom we remember; and assess the relevance of moral reflection for leadership practice. The session will focus on attendees’ responses to the title question for our seminar, juxtaposing them to views on the subject from the Aspen canon of great books and other sources. Speakers: Leigh Hafrey

Western civilization’s ancient recipe for being a better person—and how we forgot it. Speakers: David Brooks

Religion historian Elaine Pagels talks about her new bestseller Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation. Who wrote it? How did it get into the Bible? And why do people still read it? It matters for our politics, even today.

After nearly a century of bashing Confucianism, the Chinese Communist Party has, of late, recognized the need to embrace the tradition, recognizing its value to help unify and stabilize Chinese society. What is Confucianism and how is the tradition of value in the 21st century? Speakers: Ann-Ping Chin, Orville Schell

We rely on science to tell us everything from what to eat to when and how long to exercise, but what about relationships? Is there a scientific explanation for why some people seem to navigate relationships effortlessly, while others struggle? According to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine and Rachel Heller, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Amir Levine interviewed by Sue Goodwin.