Arden Seminars

Slow Food For The Thinking Mind

At a recent Seminar, one participant described Arden as “slow food for the brain, authentic ingredients, classic recipes with a touch of innovation, careful seasoning and an end product to savor.”  That rings true for us at Arden!

Arden Seminars are unique on the American intellectual, political and business landscapes, combining the rigorous thinking of the academy with the creative voices of artists, the pragmatic experience of CEO’s, and the wisdom and experience of professionals in a wide range of endeavors, from law to medicine to filmmaking.

The core of the Seminar program consists of pre-assigned readings and skillfully moderated discussions over a three or five day residential program focussed on enduring themes – apology and forgiveness (both personal and political), qualities of leadership in times of crisis or the challenges of speaking the truth.  The dialogues are intense, transformative, and pose universal questions rooted in classical and contemporary themes.  The Seminars take place across the United States and in Europe.  Most recently, seminars have been held in Savannah, Georgia; Pasadena, California; and at Windsor Castle in England.

 Arden Seminars are not affiliated with any institutional base or political theory nor are the seminars dependent on foundation or external fundraising.  Arden is an independent non-profit entity and its goal is to provide a fertile environment in which educated and curious women and men are enabled to develop new frameworks for a deeper understanding of the world in which we live and a richer appreciation of individual choices which challenge each of us in the 21^st century.

“I know of no other forum that provides the opportunity to those of us who have attained a degree of success in our individual fields to leave familiar specialties and participate in an educational process with a wide cross-section of people. The diversity allowed a freedom to move in different directions simultaneously, affording a broad perspective that we could not have attained otherwise.”
– Law Firm Partner