The appreciation for the Aspen Institute Italia Seminar on Values and Society voiced by many participants from over 30 different countries prompted the Institute in 2009 to enrich its professional development program with this additional seminar, held once again in memory of Ennio Presutti.
The Aspen Institute Italia Seminar on “The Enlightenment and the Transatlantic Link: Common Roots and Today’s Challenges” set out to examine the relevance of the thinking developed during the Age of Enlightenment in interpreting and governing the complexity of our contemporary world. The aim was to stimulate the kind of in-depth cultural exploration that can generate universal values and ideals capable of inspiring modern, aware leadership. The seminar, held in English only, took the form of a Socratic debate promoted and guided by expert Aspen Institute moderators.
The agenda of this residential seminar was subdivided into the following themes, which summarize some of the fundamental values sparked by the Enlightenment:
- Human Nature;
- Government and Freedom;
- The Free Market;
- Ethics and Religion;
- Peace.
The seminar took special care in selecting the American and European authors of the works on which the debate was based, highlighting Italian philosophers and economists in particular.
The seminar counted 25 participants from a broad range of geographical, generational and professional provenance. The variety of approaches and points of view promotes the internationalization of business and cultural leadership and sparks debate among different cultures, in an effort to identify and to enhance common ideas, knowledge, skills and interests.