The First Whitepaper from the Sarasota Institute
There have been several blog posts here that were originally published by The Sarasota Institute. A post about Healthcare in America, presenting the worst case for climate change, and Andy Warhol.
The Story of The Sarasota Institute
In January 2017 in Sarasota, Florida my friend Phil Kotler, the “father of modern marketing,” and I were talking over lunch about the incredible number of highly successful, smart, and globally known people who make the small town of Sarasota their home. These include renowned businesspeople, board members, scientists, professors, investors, TV personalities and network presidents, celebrities, writers, and on and on. Phil suggested creating an entity that could harness Sarasota’s talent to help the world. I readily agreed.
This led to a number of subsequent lunches with friends of Phil and mine joining the discussion of what and how this initial vision could be transformed into a think tank designed to try and help answer the big questions facing humanity in the 21st century.
The Sarasota Institute was born later in 2017 with a general consensus to avoid the usual orientation of think tanks as either political, or single-issue focused. Each member believes these traditional organizations are stuck in 20th century legacy thinking. Consequently, The Sarasota Institute describes itself as a 21st century think tank, and we are committed to facing the globe’s big issues and pressing realities.
The Big Issues
It is clear to The Sarasota Institute that most areas of human endeavor are experiencing accelerating and profound changes that feel like a disintegration of old institutions. These are The Big Issues. Yes, we are concerned with exploring the sources of disintegration, but even more so with the creative solutions to these Big Issues that must inevitably emerge. The Sarasota Institute’s exploration is meant to lead to perspectives, and more critically, action. In short, we seek to influence what can and may emerge to be the new models and structures of the 21st century.
The Sarasota Institute is focusing its efforts on the following 10 major areas – ordered by their importance, in our opinion – because it is our belief that these areas are each in a state of great flux:
- Technology
- Climate Change
- Intelligence
- Economics
- Democracy
- Education
- Healthcare
- Natural Resources
- Public Policy
- Media & Marketing
The Sarasota Institute will endeavor to publish Whitepapers on all of these 10 topics. In addition, we intend to have half day and full day symposiums on many of them. We look at the global, national and local levels in all categories.
Whitepaper #1 “The Big Issues” was co-authored by the other co-founder of the Sarasota Institute, Jason Apollo Voss. Jason, a good friend, is regarded as one of the most transformative financial thinkers in the world. Together we wrote something that will give your brain something stimulating to consume once you are tired of Christmas parties, family and cookies.
Here is where you go to get the free download and where, if your thoughts are stimulated, you can post comments, so we can happily interact with you.
