Philosophy and Practice - Aspen Institute | Deutschland

“I took the Seminar more than 20 years
ago and it changed my life. It really
challenged me to think about fundamental ideas in new ways, and it began my
long affiliation with the Aspen Institute.
It’s that experience that brings me back
to Aspen every year for more.”
Wolf Blitzer, Lead Political Anchor, CNN
“The Aspen Seminar helped me to
better understand my own government
decisions and actions … I recommend
the Seminar to everyone.”
Madeleine K. Albright, Former U.S.
Secretary of State
“The Aspen Seminar provides a wonderful framework for personal growth. The
facility, the moderators, and the course
content were well chosen and perfectly
orchestrated. It’s an investment that will
pay lifelong dividends.”
Michael Eisner, Former Chairman and
CEO, Walt Disney Company
“Intensive, surprising, inspiring!”
Christian Schütte, Senior Editor and
Chief Columnist "Capital",
Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG
“The reading selections force us to tap
almost immediately into examining
our own motives and self-awareness –
in our work, in our relationships with
others, in our leadership style, in our
ability to set an internal moral compass
and follow our own true course in a
safe, supportive setting.”
Michele Jeanne Sison, U.S. Ambassador
to the United Arab Emirates
“It gave me goose bumps … I was
absolutely enthralled.”
Yoshito Hor, Chairman and CEO,
Globis Group
“For anyone in business, government,
or the media, the Aspen Seminar provides the depth, insight, and context to
think better and work smarter. Great
books, great ideas, great discussion,
great experience.”
Jonathan Alter, Senior Editor, Newsweek
“Excellent value relative to the investment of time… To my mind, this is the
definitive course on leadership.”
William Wrigley, Jr., President and
CEO, William Wrigley Jr. Company
ASPEN LEADERSHIP SEMINAR
Philosophy
and Practice
Aspen Institute Deutschland e.V.
Friedrichstrasse 60
10117 Berlin | Germany
T +49 (0) 30 804 890 18
F +49 (0) 30 804 890 33
[email protected]
ASPEN GERMANY
“The Seminar was not intended to make
a corporate treasurer a more skilled
corporate treasurer, but to help a leader
gain access to his or her own humanity by
becoming more self-aware, more selfcorrecting and more self-fulfilling.”
Walter Paepcke, Founder of The Aspen
Institute
THE MENACE TO MODERN
SOCIETY
“It changed my life totally. In today’s
world, values-based leadership is crucial.
Everyone needs the Aspen Seminar to
help navigate the future”
Leonard Lauder, Chairman, Estee Lauder
Companies
In this context, Robert M. Hutchins,
President of the University of Chicago, and
Mortimer Adler, philosopher and writer,
planned the Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Bicentennial Convocation. They were
convinced that Goethe’s truly humanistic
way of life should provide a model for
modern society, in which commercialism
and efficiency had begun to cast a negative
shadow. Hutchins and Adler considered
this festival a starting point for a continuous exchange about the ideals of the
human spirit.
“It is in today’s time a very relevant
seminar. The theme ignites reflection
about ethics and values in a global
context. I personally feel inspired to put
theory into action.”
Dr. Joerg M. Borchert, Vice President,
Infineon Technologies
“A great experience that opens the boxes
you otherwise would have kept closed.
The Aspen Seminar shows you what kind
of leader you are.”
Magnus von Kunhardt, Country Manager
Germany, Belvilla @Leisure Group
“The seminar has given the space to dive
into and discuss different leadership
concepts. To my mind, it is important to
think about the fundamental questions of
leadership and for what one stands as a
leader. Then the daily questions get
answered more easily. The seminar has
given me a lot of food for thought.”
Kristina Marie Flügel, Director Human
Resources, Deutsche Bank AG
“It’s worth it. Other seminars were
quickly forgotten. This one won’t be.”
Dr. Andrej Heinke, Director Corporate
Communications, Robert Bosch GmbH
“From the ancient times to today many
things have remained stable. The Aspen
Seminar allows one to position oneself in
the overall historic framework while
giving inspiration to actively shape the
future in the sense of humanity and
society. Inspirational!”
Dr. Soeren Fischer, Head of Diversification Programme, Airbus SA
Following World War II, a new anxiety
gripped international relations, and technologies such as those represented by the
atomic bomb increased the risk of yet
another war.
The Goethe Bicentennial Convocation was
held in 1949 in Aspen, Colorado. Hutchins,
who attended along with anthropologist
and philosopher Dr. Albert Schweitzer and
Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset,
held a speech with the title “Seeking the
Civilization of Dialogue.” In his speech he
said: “The most unexpected characteristic
of our time is the universal trivialization of
life [...] The greatest menace to our civilization is the menace of the uneducated
expert. He commands respect because he
is an expert [...] Yet he knows nothing of
other fields and nothing of the relation of
his field to them. He is, therefore, outside
of his own field, no better than an idiot
child”.
The Aspen Institute Germany was
founded in 1974 as the first Institute
outside the USA. Under the leadership of Shepard Stone, Aspen Germany established a unique track
record in building German-US cooperation and dialog with representatives of the former Soviet Union
during the Cold War. Stone’s successors extended the tradition to include
issues facing the Balkans and the
Middle East. Aspen Ger many initiates substantive discussions on the
toughest inter national policy issues
of the day and facilitates nonpartisan, substantive dialogs on the
most sensitive international policy
issues. As its US affiliate, Aspen
Germany organizes a leadership
program, policy programs and a
public program of events.
LEARNING FROM UNIVERSAL
VALUES
Acknowledging Hutchins concerns, the
Aspen Institute was founded in 1950 to
provide a platform for exchange between
scholars, artists and businessmen. The aim
was to foster intense discussion away from
everyday life’s distractions in an
atmosphere of relaxed dialogue and
sufficient time for reflection. The Aspen
Seminar was launched the following year.
It introduced a program that was based on
reading material containing several hundred pages of texts selected and excerpted
from the Great Books of the Western
World, edited by Adler himself. By drawing
upon classical masterpieces of several
epochs that have withstood the test of time
as a common text, Adler intended to encourage participants to debate amongst them
and to discover their own answers to questions asked by past thinkers, such as the
source of values. Based on these explorations they should reflect how we should act
and what standards we should apply.
The question Hutchins raised at the convocation – What should we do to reconstruct
humanity’s essential values, communication and community, which were being lost
in the endless pursuit of specialization,
segmentation, functionalism, efficiencycentric ideas, and short-term profit –
became the starting point of the Aspen
Seminar.
Until today, the Aspen Seminar, based on
the fundamental question of Hutchins and
the methods developed by Adler, is still the
core of the Aspen Institute, which has also
expanded its breadth and depth of activities
to include initiatives in the fields of politics, economics and diplomatic policy and
a Public Program of events designed for a
broader public.
His emphasis on the need for education
centered on character and a civilization of
dialogue based on mutual understanding
and respect deeply impressed the audience.
COMMUNICATION BY
THOROUGH DIALOG
SEMINAR GOALS
The Aspen Seminar is an exceptional
Leadership-Program concerned with
'value-based leadership'. It offers the
participants the opportunity to explore and
to reflect on basic values articulated in
classical texts during the course of more
than two millennia. The Seminar is
centered on the question of the relevance
of these values for today's decision-makers.
Away from the hectic everyday life, in an
inspiring natural environment, executives
can discuss with other interesting
personalities freely and confidentially
about basic questions of humanity, culture,
society, nature and the world.
about fundamental human values and
hence deepen their understanding of them,
to become aware of their current situation
and to further develop their humanity. They
will be encouraged to question their own
actions with regard to the aspect of values
and to become aware of what they (want to)
stand for.
Communication by thorough dialog is the
fundament of the Aspen Seminar. Beforehand, all participants read the same
classical texts, which enjoy special
appreciation in the Western as well as the
Eastern tradition. During the Seminar,
participants will respectfully and honestly
share their thoughts, feelings and insecurities. Unlike university lectures or literature
analyses in which experts offer instructions
on how to read or understand the classical
texts, the Aspen Seminar encourages each
participant to a free and own interpretation
of the material. Through the dialog with
each other, the participants engage with a
deep examination of the essential questions
of humanity as well as their universal
values and discuss about the character of
the challenges that Europe, their own
society and organization as well as they
personally are facing now and in future.
SEMINAR STRUCTURE
The following topics will be discussed
during the seminar sessions: Human
Nature, Individual Rights and Liberty,
Property and Productivity, Equality and
Social Welfare. The participants are
required to attend all sessions and to read
the texts thoroughly for preparation so they
can clearly state their views on the material
and contribute to the discussion. Each
seminar includes two moderators who
encourage dialogue among participants,
guide the discussion in an appropriate
direction, and offer suggestions to increase
the quality of the dialogue.
 Encouraging the participants to think
Fostering the ability of participants for
multi-perspective thinking as an important
prerequisite for true leadership through
dialogue with each other and - even more
importantly - in engagement with oneself.
 Supporting the participants to think out
of the box, to change their usual way of
thinking and acting, to open up for new or
other opinions and approaches, and hence
to gain new insights and develop new ideas.
 To link the knowledge of the classics
that endured for generations with the
modern society and to rediscover their
relevance for our modern times, in order to
create a reliable orientation for tomorrow.
“I grew accustomed to thinking that I am
as devoted to leading through values as
anyone else I know, so I assumed I knew
as much about it as anyone else and
learning would thus be limited. I was in
for a surprise! ”
Duarte Paulo Teixeira de Azevedo, CEO,
SONAE SGPS, S.A.
“Das Aspen Seminar ist ein unverzichtbares theoretisches Rüstzeug für ethisches
wertebasiertes Management.”
Ambassador (ret.) Thomas Matussek,
Managing Director, Alfred Herrhausen
Gesellschaft mbH
“Die intensiven Diskussionen mit interessanten Persönlichkeiten haben meine
Sicht auf die Welt und ihre Zusammenhänge verändert und werden meinen Alltag nachhaltig beeinflussen.”
Eva Deininger, Head of Logistics &
Services, Axel Springer AG
“The Aspen Seminar provides a forum for
reexamining the great issues of our time
based on classical and contemporary
texts. It is a unique experience.”
Charles Ferguson, Retired Editor,
The Times Picayune
AT A GLANCE
TARGET GROUP
Established leaders from business, science, government, and
civil society, such as members of boards and trusts, corporate
directors and executives, top government officials, scholars and
researchers, political leaders, and leading members of NGOs.
PARTICIPANTS
The number of participants is limited. Invitations are exclusively distributed upon nomination; The selection will be
carried out by a committee.
LITERATURE
The reading material concists of selected Western and Eastern,
classic and temporary texts. The seminar will be conducted in
English.
DURATION
Three consecutive days, from Thursday evening to Sunday
afternoon. Continuous attendance at all sessions is expected
from all participants.
COSTS
The seminar fee is € 3.830 per person, including the hotel
charges for accommodation and meals.
BOARDS
MANAGEMENT BOARD
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dr. Christoph Abeln
Abeln RAe für Arbeitsrecht
Dr. Corinne Michaela Flick
(Vorsitzende)
Botschafter a.D. Thomas
Matussek (Vizevorsitzender)
Peter Lennartz
Ernst & Young GmbH
Dr. Kurt Schwarz
Eckardt von Klaeden
Karsten D. Voigt
Christine Wolff
Dr. Jörg Baldauf
Prof. Dr. Volker Berghahn
Carl Douglas
Leonhard H. Fischer
Elliot Gerson
Sue Koffel
Helmut F. Meier
David Knower
EX OFFICIO TRUSTEES
MANAGEMENT BOARD
PRIVATE MEMBERS
Dr. Roland Hoffmann-Theinert
GÖRG Rechtsanwälte
(Chairman)
Christoph Abeln
Hans Albrecht
Jörg Baldauf
Peter Bassmann
Karl H. Behle
Andreas Brähler
Gregor Breitkopf
Oliver Buck
James Conrad
Bernhard M. Deppisch
Volker Deville
Jürgen Dickemann
Steven Disman
Margrit Disman
Stephan Düren
Rakhamim Emanuilov
Kristina Flügel
Ralf Fücks
Steffen Göwe
Jan-Hendrik Goldbeck
Uwe Günther
Thomas Haberkamm
Arno Heuermann
Oliver Hohenstatter
Kay P. Hradilak
Florian Jehle
August von Joest
Christof Jäckle
Peter Kerscher
Hanns-Karsten Kirchmann
Albrecht Klein
Sue Koffel
Helmut Kranzmaier
Nils Krause
Andreas R. Krebs
Peter Lennartz
Jan Losemann
Andreas Luckow
Claus-Peter Martens
Cornelia Masuhr
Harald Mau
Ulrich Misgeld
Jörg Müller
Werner Pahlitzsch
Ulrich Plett
Jens Poll
Lars Preußer
Hans-Jürgen Rabe
Sascha Ratayski
Jürgen Reuning
Björn Rupp
Jürgen Schach von Wittenau
Sigram Schindler
Hans-Jörg Schmedes
Kerstin von Schnakenburg Jürgen
Rüdiger Lentz
Aspen Institute Deutschland e.V.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Krause
Institute für Sicherheitspolitik,
CAU Kiel
August von Joest
Office @ von Joest
Cyril F. Benoit
Mircea Geoana
Dr. Roland Hoffmann-Theinert
Yotaro Kobayashi
Gautam Thapar
Prof. Giulio Tremonti
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Georges Berthoin
Prof. Dr. Kurt H. Biedenkopf
Dr. Hildegard Boucsein
Dr. Alexander A. Kwapong
Charles King Mallory IV
Prof. David Marquand FBA
Walter Momper MdA
Edzard Reuter
Helmut Schmidt
Prof. Dr. h.c. Lothar Späth
Prof. Fritz Stern
Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker
Prof. Dr. Werner Weidenfeld
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
Britt Eckelmann
cpm architekten
Ulrich Plett
Ernst & Young
Arno Heuermann
Catenion
CORPORATE MEMBERS
Adam Opel AG
Axel Springer AG
Baker & McKenzie
Cerberus Capital Management
cpm architekten
Daimler AG
DARAG AG
Ernst & Young AG
FPS Rechtsanwälte & Notare
GÖRG Rechtsanwälte
Knick Elektronische Messgeräte
GmbH & Co. KG.
Landesbank Berlin AG
Robert Bosch GmbH
Peter Schnitzler
Christoph Schulte-Kaubrügger
Elke Schwanke
Leonardo Scimmi
Jürgen B. Steinke
Simon Vaut
Cornelius Wendel
Sven Wingerter
Christine Wolff
Alexander Zumdieck
JUNIOR MEMBERS
Patrick Ams
Volker Anger
Peter Eitel
Jana Hecker
Nikolai Kleckow
Jenna Koffel
Sean Koffel
Franciska Lange
Christoph Noack
Johannes J. Rüberg
Sergey Sumlenny
Sophie von Wedel
The following public institutions, companies and foundations belong to the supporters of the Aspen Institute Germany:
German Federal Foreign Office
Embassy of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Germany
Cassidian – EADS Deutschland GmbH
Deutsches Maritimes Institut (DMI) e.V.
Deutschlandradio Kultur
Lampe & Schwartze KG
Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH
Shepard-Stone-Foundation