Wisdom in the Age of Information

“We live in a world awash of information, but we seem to face a growing scarcity of wisdom. And what’s worse, we confuse the two.” - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

by Erika Block

I've been a long-time reader of Brain Pickings, a blog that embodies the best of what the internet can be when it's used to share ideas and provide context and back stories through hyperlinks. Maria Popova has been reading and writing about books, the human condition, science, poetry, and the universe for more than a decade.

She connects books and ideas and big thinkers through essays that require time to digest, all the while optimizing her work for the web and taking advantage of links to provide further depth and exploration - and also to reconnect readers with earlier posts that may have new relevance.

Brain Pickings is also a pioneer in a new model of publishing, having built a business through what Popova calls a labor of love. It provides completely free content but requests pay-what-you-can contributions from readers. (Disclosure: Sticky Lab is just getting started along this path.)

There's no one better suited to discuss Wisdom in the Age of Information than Maria.