For the seventh year running and in conjunction with The Aspen Institute, the Aspen Seminar on Values and Society was held in Italy. Those participating in this latest event in the Aspen Seminar series – the widely-acclaimed flagship program of the US Aspen Institute since 1951 – were encouraged to debate the fundamental and shared values of diverse cultures with a view to distilling the core aspects of a modern and informed approach to leadership. The initiative brought together Italian and overseas participants, who, through an analysis and discussion of selected readings from classical and contemporary authors, debated the major universal values and their relationship with the burning issues of today.
The seminar was conducted in English and focused, in five dedicated sessions, on the following topics: human nature and society, the differences between and within societies, social conflicts, the limitations of rules, and models of leadership. The discussion was elicited and guided by two moderators: Todd Breyfogle, Director of Seminars for The Aspen Institute, and Leigh Hafrey, Senior Lecturer in Behavioral and Policy Sciences at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
A debate based on a selection of readings from classical authors such as Aristotle, Plato, Confucius, Machiavelli, Bacon and Rousseau, prompted an exploration of possible underpinnings for an innovative methodological and conceptual approach. An analysis of writings by contemporary authors such as Martin Luther King, Václav Havel, Friedrich Hayek and Paul Rusesabagina, sparked debate on the challenges faced by the modern world and highlighted aspects of their growing interdependence. Finally, the performance by the participants of an extract from Sophocles’ Antigone provided an opportunity to sum up and reflect on the conflict between natural law and State-promulgated laws, deemed of particular relevance today.