LUMINARY GUIDE
Sunday, June 28th - Opening Lecture
The Creative Brain
6:00pm - 7:00pm
The brain is the most complex and fascinating organ in the human body, and it has been the
centerpiece of Dr. Nancy Andreasen’s research. She is a pioneer in the development and use of
neuroimaging tools to study the human brain. She is also one of the world’s leading experts
on creativity. As a neuroscientist and a psychiatrist, Andresen has long been fascinated by
mental illness, genius, and creativity. How does extraordinary creativity develop in the human
brain? Where does genius come from? And why are genius and creativity so often linked with
mental illness?
Nancy Andreasen
Andreasen conducted a seminal study in the 1960’s, and she is doing it again, now armed
with today’s brain imaging technology. She explains her research, as she studies the brains of
several prominent artists and scientists… and uncovers key patterns in the minds of creative
geniuses. And she’ll share her inspiring vision for a future where everyone can fulfill his or her
own creative capacity.
BIO: Dr. Nancy Andreasen is the Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of
Medicine. A recipient of the President’s National Medal of Science, Dr. Andreasen pioneered the use of MRI’s to identify
brain mechanisms of normal cognitive processes such as memory and creativity, as well as mental illnesses. She also
developed the first widely used scales for rating symptoms of schizophrenia. She has authored several highly acclaimed
books on the brain, published more than 600 scientific articles, and was editor-in-chief of The American Journal of
Psychiatry for 13 years.
LUMINARY GUIDE
Monday, June 29th – Civilization
The Art of Discovery
11:00am - 12:00pm
David McCullough
For master historian David McCullough, the key to each of his projects is the art of discovery.
He has said he’d never write a book about something he already knows. And no one tells
an American story better than the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. In his newest book,
McCullough takes us back to the exact moment the age of flight began. The Wright Brothers
uncovers little-known details about the personal lives of the courageous brothers who
taught the world how to fly. Researching private diaries, scrapbooks, and more than a
thousand family letters, McCullough paints a vivid picture of the human side of the Wright
brothers’ story. McCullough is often called a “master of the art of narrative history.” His
best-selling work 1776 has been acclaimed a classic, while John Adams, published in 2001,
remains one of the most praised and widely read American biographies of all time. But
when it comes to the history and character of America, there are still countless surprises in
store. For McCullough, it’s all about the art of discovery.
BIO: David McCullough is twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, twice a winner of the National Book Award, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Mr. McCullough’s other books include The
Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path Between The Seas, Mornings On Horseback, Brave Companions, and Truman. Mr.
McCullough has lectured around the world as well as at the White House. He is also one of the few private citizens to
speak before a joint session of Congress.
Our Declaration
2:00pm - 3:00pm
For Dr. Danielle Allen, the Declaration of Independence is more than a civics lesson.
Troubled by the fact that so few Americans actually know what it says, Dr. Allen, a
political philosopher renowned for her work on justice and citizenship, set out to explore
the arguments of the Declaration. She brings her insights and passion to each of the
document’s 1,337 words, which she examines line by line, comma by comma.
Danielle Allen
Dr. Allen shares the personal stories that led to her own “metamorphosis” – asking what
democracy actually means and what it asks of us. Dr. Allen challenges so much of our
conventional political wisdom, and makes the case that we cannot have freedom as
individuals without equality among us as a people.
BIO: Dr. Danielle Allen is a professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. She
is a political philosopher widely known for her work on justice and citizenship in both ancient Athens and modern
America. She is the author of The World of Prometheus: The Politics of Punishing in Democratic Athens (2000), Talking to
Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship since Brown v. Board of Education (2004), Why Plato Wrote (2010), and Our Declaration
(2014). In 2002, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her ability to combine “the classicist’s careful attention to
texts and language with the political theorist’s sophisticated and informed engagement.”
LUMINARY GUIDE
Tuesday, June 30th – Science
Chasing Quantum Realities
11:00am - 12:00pm
Dr. Brian Greene is considered one of the world’s foremost string theorists. A well known
physicist and professor at Columbia University, Dr. Greene will take us on an amazing tour of
the latest thinking about a unified theory of physics that may help explain the universe and
critical unanswered cosmological issues. The questions loom large: can string theory reveal
reality’s deepest laws? Or is it a mathematical mirage, as some critics suggest, that have
sidetracked a generation of physicists? Are there extra dimensions of space? And if so, is
there a parallel universe? And how do we know a multi-verse exists if we cannot see it?
Brian Greene
Einstein envisioned a grand synthesis of all of nature’s forces. How do string theorists
interpret Einstein’s theories? And with the large Hadron Collider now back on line,
researchers will be looking for anything that doesn’t fit what Dr. Greene calls the “battled
tested standard model of particle physics.”
BIO: Dr. Brian Greene is widely recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in his field of superstring theory,
including the co-discovery of mirror symmetry, which launched a vibrant field of research in physics and mathematics.
He is the co-founder and director of Columbia University’s Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics, a
research center seeking string theory’s implications for theories of cosmology. Dr. Greene has written several best-selling
and non-technical books including The Elegant Universe, a Pulitzer finalist, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and his latest work,
The Hidden Reality. The Washington Post called him “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.”
Wonders of the Ocean
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Who better to dive into the ocean’s wonders than with “Her Deepness” as she’s known -- Dr.
Sylvia Earle. Her work has been at the frontier of ocean exploration for four decades. In that
time, she has logged more than 6,000 hours underwater.
Sylvia Earle
Dr. Earle is now issuing a call to action about the distressing reality of our oceans today. She
argues the ocean is large and resilient, but not too big to fail. Her organization, Mission
Blue, aims to establish marine protected areas, called “Hope Spots” around the world. One of
her immediate concerns is the loss of fish. The world’s populations of grouper, snapper, and
several other species have dropped 90 percent since the 1950s.
She’ll share some highlights of her many dives, as well as personal stories such as breaking in
to the male-dominated world of ocean research. And she’ll share her optimism and hope for
the future of our planet, and its deepest wonders.
BIO: Dr. Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer with a deep commitment to research through personal exploration. She
is currently an explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society. Dr. Earle has led more than 50 expeditions
worldwide, including one with the first all-female team to live underwater. In 1979, Earle walked untethered on the sea
floor at a lower depth than any other woman before or since. She founded the companies Deep Ocean Engineering
and Deep Ocean Technologies to design and build undersea vehicles that let scientists work at previously inaccessible
depths. Dr. Earle was formerly the chief scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
LUMINARY GUIDE
Wednesday, July 1st – Human Spirit
The Creator Economy
11:00am - 12:00pm
The post-industrial information economy is transitioning to something brand new with
enormous implications for global society. Technology forecaster Paul Saffo calls it the “creator
economy.” It signals a new value in a networked world. At its heart is a notion, Saffo suggests,
that a dying consumer economy built on consumption is being displaced by a new creator
economy built on mass engagement.
Paul Saffo
He likens it to the mid-1950s, when an infant consumer economy began to emerge – like then,
events today will shape the economic landscape for decades to come. What does success
look like in a creator economy? The answer will be maddening uncertainty for some. But for
innovators who keep their head up, this shift could mean limitless opportunities.
offering details on what the future may hold for one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing
nations.
BIO: Paul Saffo is a forecaster with over two decades experience exploring the dynamics of large-scale, long-term change.
He teaches at Stanford University, and leads the Forecasting/Future Studies Track at Singularity University. He is a non-resident
Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Mr. Saffo’s essays
have appeared in The Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and The New York Times, among
others. He sits on the board of the Long Now Foundation, as well as the Curiosity Project.
Conscious Capitalism
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Conscious Capitalism is -- at its heart, as Dr. Raj Sisodia suggests -- a different mindset about
capitalism. The traditional attitude is often focused on maximizing profits and increasing
shareholder value. But Dr. Sisodia asks, “What is wrong with that?” Simply put, he says, a lot! Greed
and unbridled self-interest bordering on selfishness need to be replaced by a higher purpose, and
all stakeholders – employees, customers, investors – need to have a stake in the outcome.
Raj Sisodia
So Dr. Sisodia asks: How do you help everyone connected with the enterprise flourish? How do you
create human value and profits at the same time? What kind of leadership is required to create this
new ecosystem of values? How do you reduce stress and fear and replace it with love and respect
in the workplace? Is our current economy in peril if we continue focusing on just simply profits?
Dr. Sisodia will describe how a number of companies around the globe, both large and small, are
leading this new vanguard of change.
BIO: Dr. Raj Sisodia is the Franklin Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business and Whole Foods Market Research
Scholar in Conscious Capitalism at Babson College. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Conscious Capitalism, Inc.
Dr. Sisodia has been cited as one of “50 Leading Marketing Thinkers” by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and twice
named one of the “Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior” by Trust Across America. Dr. Sisodia has
taught executive programs for several high profile companies, including AT&T, Kraft Foods, Volvo, and Walmart.
LUMINARY GUIDE
Thursday, July 2nd – Technology
The Human Face of Big Data
11:00am - 12:00pm
Big data is about people -- and photographer Rick Smolan set out to prove it. Smolan and
Jennifer Erwitt’s project, ”The Human Face of Big Data,” explores how real time information
streaming in from satellites, billions of sensors, GPS-enabled cameras, and smart phones, is
letting us measure and understand aspects of our existence in ways never possible before.
The premise of the project is that all of these devices are creating a planetary nervous system
and the massive real time collection and analysis of data is suddenly allowing us to address to
some of humanity’s biggest challenges, including pollution, world hunger and illness. But is
there a trade off?
Rick Smolan
After nearly two years of research and filming and via interviews conducted with dozens of
the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs pioneering this space, the “The Human Face of Big
Data” team has captured both the promise and peril in the growing big data revolution, a sea
change which many experts believe will have a thousand times greater impact on our lives
than the Internet.
BIO: Rick Smolan is a former Time, Life, and National Geographic photographer. Now, as CEO of Against All Odds Productions,
Smolan produces large-scale global photography projects which combine story-telling with state of the art technology. Widely
known as the creator of the best-selling “Day in the Life” series, every 18 months Smolan engages hundreds of international
journalists to focus on emerging topics including Big Data, the global water crisis, and how the human race is learning to heal
itself. Against All Odds Productions was named by Fortune Magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Companies in America,” and its
projects have been featured on the covers of Fortune, Time, Newsweek, and US News & World Reports.
Digital Transcendence
2:00pm - 3:00pm
How do humans define themselves? How is technology changing who we are? And how
can we transcend our limitations and our perceptions and expand our world? These are just
some of the questions that fascinate techno-philosopher Jason Silva. He is a filmmaker, a
futurist, and a self-described epiphany addict, with a passion for creativity, innovation and
technology.
Jason Silva
Silva examines the next revolutions in science and technology, and lays out how we can
build new construction kits for our reality – a world where biotech doesn’t stop at the limits
of biology, and nanotechnology has an exponential growth curve.
Silva will do more than show us his vision of the future. He’ll grab us all by the hand and
lead us there, and won’t let go until he convinces us that the future is now.
BIO: Jason Silva is a self-professed wonder-junkie. He is the creator of the web series “Shots of Awe,” a microdocumentaries exploring creativity, innovation, technology, futurism, metaphysics, existentialism and the human
condition. The videos have spread like wildfire across the Internet, viewed more than 13 million times. Some have
described him as “a modern performance philosopher, a digital DJ, a revitalizer and remixer of optimism, and above all,
a curator: of ideas, of inspiration, and of awe.” Mr. Silva has spoken around the world, and is also the Emmy-nominated
host of National Geographic Channel’s Brain Games.