The history of Aspen is not complete without an understanding of how the Goethe Bicentennial of 1949 transformed this mountain town almost overnight and led to the founding of an organization of global repute and influence.
Tag: Aspen Institute
Posted inThe second coming of Albert Schweitzer
The Goethe Bicentennial and reverence for life
“I have great confidence in the incalculable forces of the spirit. The future depends on it. If these spiritual forces are brought into play, the world’s future will be improved. Behind materialism it is often possible to discover great spiritual forces at work. And behind spirituality an element of materialism also exists.”
Posted inHistory
Masterminds mull in the mountains
Not in chronological order, and without necessarily chasing the headliners, the following looks at some interesting highlights of Ideas Fest with continuing relevance — particularly space exploration, social media, and AI.
Posted inHistory
Embedded with the eggheads
When viewed from outside today’s privileged event, with venture capitalists and CEOs populating the multi-faceted panels, skepticism can arise; yet, few other conference locales can match such a disarming Shangri-La for crosspollination.
Posted inIn search of community
The battle for the Aspen Idea: Community or commodity?
“Paepcke’s experiment in idiosyncratic enlightened capitalism proved to be a pivotal moment in the evolution of tourism in the 20th-century West, a bridge between a more elitist past and a future of mass culture.”
Posted inIn search of community
Post-war rise of skiing and culture creates both opportunity and rift
“Some of the objections for Aspen having a celebration each year are the lack of housing, the shortage of dining space for more than ordinary crowds, disrupting the free and easy life of some few Aspenites, and generally cluttering up the streets and shops with extra people, some of them with money to spend.”
Posted inIn search of community
During Aspen’s Quiet Years, a challenged but cohesive community takes hold
“The lights of Aspen began to dim and softly flicker for almost 50 years. Still, the lights never went out. These were the years between prospecting and prosperity, … Aspen’s only future lay in its past. All of its dreams were trapped in its memories of yesterday.”