Socrates Seminar: The market’s moral boundaries: Can the market contribute to social good?
Aspen Institute España organized in collaboration with The Aspen Institute (USA) the fourth edition of the Socrates Seminar.
Consumerism is an essential aspect of the market economy and has long been part of our collective identity. However, in recent years, market values -previously restricted to the realm of economic transactions- have spread to virtually all aspects of life: education, health, law, athletics and family relationships, widening the gap between wealthy and poor. Do we want to live in a world in which practically every decision is made based on economic cost? Can a democracy operate freely in circumstances where everything -political campaigns, admission to university, citizenship, the right to pollute, human organs, etc.- can it be bought and sold? Are there goods that should not be subject to the markets? If not, what kinds of changes can citizens and governments make to bring ethics and morals back into the equation?
Following the lines outlined by The Aspen Institute in the USA, the Socrates Seminars aim to address current issues, delving into the challenges posed by leadership in the framework of an open dialogue.
The debate, which took place in English, was structured around contemporary texts that are distributed in advance and is guided by expert moderators. The participants are prominent young people between the ages of 28 and 45 coming from different sectors of civil society that includes entrepreneurs, people from the public and business sectors, academics and journalists.
The Seminar took place at Real Maestranza de Ronda, Spain,23-26, April, 2015.
Moderator’s Biography:
Clive Crook, Senior Editor, The Atlantic; columnist, Bloomberg View. Clive Crook is senior editor of The Atlantic and a Bloomberg View columnist. He is a member of the Bloomberg View editorial board, a former chief Washington commentator of the Financial Times, and was previously with The Economist. Crook was born in Yorkshire, educated at Bolton School; Magdalen College, Oxford (where he was a foundation scholar); and the London School of Economics. After leaving university he was an official in H.M. Treasury and the Government Economic Service and was a consultant to The World Bank. Crook worked for 20 years at The Economist, variously serving as economics correspondent, Washington correspondent, economics editor and deputy editor. He lives in Washington, DC.
