As the U.S. political debate about selecting the next Fed Chairman meanders on, there is an important tale to be told about the lack of compassion that so characterized Larry Summers, one of the two leading candidates for the job. The contrast to fellow contender Janet Yellen could not be greater.

Case in point: the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, which prominently featured two Harvard professors as speakers during its always impressive range of panels.

To see the contrast, let us start with a discussion at the festival with a different Harvard professor, Robert Putnam, a famous author and sociologist, who is not a former Harvard president.