The search for our soul: mistery and passion

This meeting, held in the beautiful Ambrosiana library, offered the occasion to reflect on a very different topic than usual, at Aspen Italia events: the soul, as seen in different cultures, and as it inspires everyone – whether he or she believes in God or not – to consider the most profound issues for humanity. Participants quickly, but without succumbing to superficiality, reviewed the notion of “soul” as it has been appreciated over the centuries and in different cultures. They then concentrated on the Greek and Judeo-Christian approaches – as the two strongest roots to modern western culture – until they eventually came to consider psychoanalytic and scientific definitions. To paraphrase Heraclides: you can walk to the ends of the earth, but you can never find the confines of the soul. All concurred that the important thing is to keep the interior light shining, the desire to learn, to investigate, to maintain communications, even when they lead to argument.