64 I SALAMANDER 2024 |
few single speaker presentations and we work hard to provide diversity of opinion to help people think about things in multiple perspectives . That really happens with the more spontaneous conversation .” In turn , this adds complexities to the curation phase : For example , how does one find the ideal moderator to facilitate a productive conversation dynamic , which in the heat of a live moment , could turn south ? This is especially true when tackling tightly coiled issues like the Israel-Hamas Conflict .
Nevertheless , the festival won ’ t shy away from “ gritty ” conversations , in fact , “ they ’ ll be addressed first thing in the morning ,” says Brown . This will parallel the structure of last year ’ s “ Wicked Problems ,” which kicked the day off with a contentious discussion of topics like gun control between multiple perspectives on stage .
Brown , who ’ s no stranger to generating fresh content , believes that this year ’ s
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content should strive for the ideal combination of “ intellectually challenging and gritty with joyful and escapist ,” the latter of which she calls “ an intellectual sorbet course .” She goes on to clarify , “ If you ’ ve just come out of an intense conversation about Ukraine , you don ’ t want to go into another about what ’ s happening in Myanmar , but you might want to hear something about music or culture or lifestyle . … You don ’ t want to make people feel their heads are exploding .”
“ A thoughtline of the festival this year is going to be “ World on Fire ,” says Brown , “ which I think needs no explanation , but we must remember , the world ’ s also on fire with ideas , good ones . Although you want to talk about the enormous challenges and problems facing the world , you also want to talk about the people who are solving them and offer that respite and the spiritual havens which can help us to live our lives with
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pleasure and sanity .
” Some of the topics Brown mentions she wants to explore include the space revolution and AI . “ They are of huge interest to people and I ’ m going to see how we can discuss these both in ways that are also very much linked back to humanity ,” she says , “ so that these are not what I call ‘ conversations in the ether ,’ but answer how these amazing tech innovations are going to affect us as a human race .”
Also on the agenda : journalism , a profession close to her heart . “ I want to bring that strand of truth tellers to Aspen because one of the things I feel very keenly about is how we defend democracy with journalists , [ who ] are under tremendous attack from everywhere ,” says Brown . “ People don ’ t know what to believe . Facts are spewed out and you don ’ t know where they come from . Are they coming from a partisan source or AI ? I think the whole question
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