I became aware of the World Wide Web in 1995 and I have loved surfing it ever since. I am overwhelmed by the volume of good sites I have bookmarked and, as I write this late in 2019, I am excited by new discoveries made this year. In this article I will identify websites that I go to regularly as well as others that I go to occasionally.
I am usually up between 5 and 6 in the mornings. I make myself a cup of coffee and launch a YouTube video on my TV as relaxing background music. Then I either read a book or surf the web until daylight when Pat and I usually go for our regular one hour walk before breakfast.
Top Favorites - General Interest
I check aeon on most days and read up to five essays per week. Often the authors of the essays also write books. It is not unusual for some of those books to end up on my amazon wish list.
Since 2012, Aeon has established itself as a unique digital magazine, publishing some of the most profound and provocative thinking on the web. We ask the big questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on science, philosophy, society and the arts... We are committed to big ideas, serious enquiry and a humane worldview. That’s it.
I am a big fan of Maria Popova, one of my favorite atheists. I love her blog, Brain Pickings, and have been reading her posts for years. The capacity that Popova has for reading books and skillfully writing about them is impressive. I like the structure of her website. I like her business model but because I am retired with limited financial resources I have never given her a donation. I would enjoy working as she does but could never compete with the likes of her.
Oh hello. My name is Maria Popova. I am a reader and writer, and I write about what I read here on Brain Pickings — my one-woman labor of love. It is an inquiry into what it means to live a decent, substantive, rewarding life, and a record of my own becoming as a person — intellectually, creatively, spiritually — drawn from my extended marginalia on the search for meaning across literature, science, art, philosophy, and the various other tentacles of human thought and feeling.
Top Favorites - Self Help
In my thirties I began learning about how to cope with my occasional bouts of depression. In the days before I lost my faith, my church pastor recommended a book to me and I have been on a path of self help ever since. It has been a journey of discovery for which I am very grateful.
I regularly read Rick Hanson's blog. Sometimes I listen to a podcast, wonderful conversations between him and his son. Sometimes I read from the Just One Thing: Simple Practices section.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author.
https://www.rickhanson.net/writings/just-one-thing/just-one-thing-simple-practices/
Being Well Podcast with Dr. Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and Forrest Hanson
Since I discoverd this site a few years ago, I have read many articles and learned much. It has a unique approach that really resonates with me. I have struggled with my moods and emotions my whole life and The Book of Life aims to be the curation of the best and most helpful ideas in the area of emotional life.
WHAT IS THE BOOK OF LIFE
It’s called The Book of Life because it’s about the most substantial things in your life: your relationships, your income, your career, your anxieties.
Top Favorites - Spirituality
https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/
There is much about this website that I like and I go to it often. I prefer many teachers rather than a few and I like to browse the Living Spiritual Teacher Project section. I like that this site honors many traditions. I am mostly interested in the Spiritually Independent and Buddhist sections. More than half of their spiritual practices resonate with me.
The Spiritual Naturalist Society
In retirement, the path of my spiritual journey took me to becoming a Supporting Member of the SNS. One reason I joined was because Susan Blackmore and Owen Flanagan, both atheists whom I admire, are on the SNS Advisory Board. I also was impressed with their Partner Organizations. The SNS has a great archive of articles.
Top Favorites - Big Questions
Closer To Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
I am a great admirer of Robert Lawrence Kuhn, the creator, executive producer, writer and host of Closer to Truth. To the best of my knowledge, he is an agnostic, as am I. I love exploring big questions and I believe that many of them do not have one right answer. We can probably get closer and closer to truth but never actually get there. Sometimes I browse the Content Guide which is structured as questions, many which interest me. There are over 4000 video interviews on the site and I have only scratched the surface.
Top Favorites - Books
I love nonfiction books and in 2016 I launched the Ajijic Book Club. At the bottom of the ABC Home page are three dynamic links that I check regularly. I read at least one book per month and I have many dozens on my wish list that will remain unread.
New York Times Best seller list
Washington Post Non fiction books
Favorites - News
Because of the intense polarization of the mainstream media and the overwhelming fragmentation of alternative sources, it has become increasingly challenging to keep up with the news. And it has become more demanding both intellectually and emotionally. I now spend less time following news than I once did and mostly now I just scan headlines on the web. On most days I scan the headlines on RealClearWorld and RealClearPolitics and sometimes I scan RealClearScience and RealClearReligion and other sections.
There is an encouraging response to the polarization of the mainstream media - 10 ways we are different.
I sometimes scan the Global Perspectives and other sections which interest me.
Allsides is another excellent response to polarization. This site also has a useful Media Bias Ratings system. And it has a useful Dictionary which clarifies how the same words mean different things to different people.
I usually read weekly articles by Andrew Sullivan to get his take on current events.
http://nymag.com/author/andrew-sullivan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan
Favorites - Organizations
Nicolas Berggruen started the Berggruen Institute in 2010 and I occassionally follow its progress. "The Berggruen Institute was established in 2010 to develop foundational ideas about how to reshape political and social institutions in the face of these great transformations. We work across cultures, disciplines and political boundaries, engaging great thinkers to develop and promote long-term answers to the biggest challenges of the 21st Century."
I was pleased that the first winner of the $1 million Berggruen prize in 2016 was Charles Taylor, a Canadian who I admire. I was further pleased when the 2018 prize was awarded to Martha Nussbaum and the 2019 prize was awarded to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. However, I am skeptical of transformational change coming through elite mainstream organizations such as this one.
The Evolution Institute is a non-profit think tank with a global presence. Our mission is to provide science-based solutions for today's most pressing social issues in order to improve quality of life. I am impressed with the work of this Institute and I occasionally read articles in its publication This View of Life.
Some atheists reject funding from the Templeton Foundation but they, in my view, are misguided and seem to be True Believers in a scientific materialistic worldview. I am particularly interested in consciousness which remains a mystery. Templeton aims "to make progress on the science of consciousness by using adversarial collaboration and a range of other open science practices."
Favorites - Positive Stories
In a world of so much negativity, the Bridge Alliance is a refreshing change. I love The Four Principles. The Bridge Alliance member organizations are doing great work, most of it ignored by the mainstream media. I usually read The Weekly Update. I am particularly interested in those members seeking to bridge ideological divides.
YES! Media is a nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism. Through rigorous reporting on the positive ways communities are responding to social problems and insightful commentary that sparks constructive discourse, YES! Media inspires people to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world.
YES! YES! YES!
Favorite - Portal
Arts & Letters Daily is probably the first site that I began visiting regularly. It launched in 1998 and soon thereafter it was brought to my attention by a friend. I like browsing all three of its sections - Articles of Note, New Books and Essays & Opinions. The side bar on the left of the home page has numerous links to sites. I particularly like the many links in the Book Reviews section. This site has no ads and nothing to sell.
Favorites - My Teachers
There are many individuals who know much more than I do. I have found several that I have come to trust. The sites below are in no particular order.
Robert M. Ellis is the Founder and Chair of the Middle Way Society. I read his book, Migglism: A Beginner’s Guide to Middle Way Philosophy, which I very much appreciated although I do not like the made up word in the title. I generally read new posts on the site and occasionally I listen to podcasts.
Amod Lele is a Canadian now working at Boston University. His blog, Love of All Wisdom, is his avocation and I have learned much from this man. I usually read his new posts which are not frequent. I very much appreciate that he shares his personal story in his autobiographical posts. I hope that he continues to tell his story as his life progresses. On the left side of the home page is a very useful listing of CATEGORIES, topics, many which interest me.
Robert Wright has become well known since the publication of his book, Why Buddhism is True, in 2017. I probably will not read his book but I am a big fan of his other initiatives. Although I find his personality somewhat quirky, I like the way his mind works and I like how he approaches life. Zero is a +1 / -1 approach, win/lose, while nonzero is +1/+1 approach, win/win. This seems rather easy to understand but this approach needs more widespread practise.
I regularly read the NONZERO NEWSLETTER and I was a regular reader of its predecessor, the Mindful Resistance Newsletter.
I also occasionally watch MEANINGOFLIFE.TV VIDEOS.
John Horgan writes a weekly blog, Cross-Check - Critical views of science in the news, that I usually read.
I read his book, Mind-Body Problems, which is available free online. I very much enjoyed this book and hope to add a review of it on my website. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about Owen Flanagan and Rebecca Goldstein, both who have written books I have read.
David Chapman has several websites each quite different from one another.
The site of his that I usually visit is Meaningness. I scroll to the bottom of the home page and check for Recent pages that have been added. At this time he does not seem to be adding very much to this website. But the home page also has Book contents which I browse. There are many posts on this site which I find very insightful.
I have scanned his other sites which look interesting but I lack the time to explore them.
Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, politics, and many other topics
https://selfawarepatterns.com/
Mike Smith writes about difficult topics that interest me such as the hard problem of consciousness. He writes at a level that makes this and other topics easier for me to understand. I usually read his Recent Posts and sometimes I go into the Archives.
I really like his style, his tone and his open-mindedness.
Gregg Henriques writes a blog on Psychology Today called Theory of Knowledge and I regularly read it.
I am quite interested in his Tree of Knowledge System.
I was fascinated by his series Finding a Key That Unlocks My Cathedral - Part one of a series outlining a new theory of mental health and disorder which began on February 13, 2019. This led me to Edward Kroger and his theory of Emotional Warfare and the Philosophy of One Divide. I am looking forward to what develops from the Henrique / Kroger collaboration.
But most of all, I am excited by the article, The Digital Identity Problem, which Henrique posted on August 29, 2019. I followed the links in the article and a whole new perspective opened up to me. This led to My Newly Discovered Teachers in the section below.
Favorites - My Newly Discovered Teachers
Daniel Thorson
A podcast based inquiry into the next phase of the human experiment
https://www.monasticacademy.com/meet-us/
David Fuller 
When our existing ways of thinking break down, it's the rebels and the renegades, those who dare to think differently, who need to reboot the system.
https://www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/about/who-we-are
https://www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFQ6Gptuq-sLflbJ4YY3Umw
Jonathan Rowson
No single story of how things should be makes sense anymore, unless it is a story of stories. Therein lies the renewal of hope for our world.
https://www.systems-souls-society.com/people https://www.systems-souls-society.com/ https://www.systems-souls-society.com/purpose https://www.systems-souls-society.com/posts
http://www.whatisemerging.com/about
Emerge is a hub for people and initiatives searching for solutions to pressing global challenges, asking the question: What new patterns of living, working and existing together are currently emerging? We are a network and a movement that celebrates people and projects. Our purpose is constantly emerging and taking shape. We offer an invitation to each of us to discover our role in this new story.
Peter Limberg
Peter Limberg is the host and producer of the Intellectual Explorers Podcast. A podcast of ideas. Big ideas. Ones that will enrich your map of reality, or at least make it more interesting.
https://anchor.fm/intellectualexplorersclub
The Memetic Tribes Of Culture War 2.0 by Peter N. Limberg and Conor Barnes
Jordan Hall
Deep Code - Unreasonable Thoughts
Emergent Culture - Thinking about the future of our civilization
World historical things that could be done right now. This is a publication for the kind of ideas that walks that fine line between imagination and practice. Big ideas — but ideas that are entirely plausible and actionable. The kind of ideas that require courage.
Swell Considerations - Contemplations on social commerce
https://www.youtube.com/user/jordangreenhall/videos
John Vervaeke
https://www.psych.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/john-vervaeke
John Vervaeke, PhD is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in the departments of psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology.
https://www.youtube.com/user/johnvervaeke/videos
https://www.facebook.com/Vervaeke.John/
John Vervaeke is one of only three lecturers at the University of Toronto considered "life-changing" by students.
It started, as lots of things do just now, on the internet. Dougald Hine and Paul Kingsnorth had been leaving comments on each other’s blogs and this led to a conversation over email, then in quiet corners of pubs. Slowly, over the months, they found enough common ground to embark on a project together.
About the Dark Mountain Project
Peter Limberg 
update May 2020 - Peter Limberg has moved.
THE STOA - The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately. - Seneca
Andrew Taggart
I found Andrew Taggart while exploring Peter Limberg's Conversations on Letter. He seems like someone I would like as a teacher. However, it is easier to find new teachers than it is to find the time and energy to learn.
ANDREW JAMES TAGGART, PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHER, PH.D. - Blog
Psyche is a new digital magazine from Aeon, that launched on 18 May 2020. Psyche seeks to illuminate the human condition through three prisms: mental health; the perennial question of ‘how to live’; and the artistic and transcendent facets of life.
As with Aeon, Psyche disseminates knowledge from a wide range of expert perspectives. Psychology and philosophy are key, but Psyche also draws on history, anthropology and other disciplines. Psyche recognises that the human condition has always been illuminated by the imagination as much as by reason and practical knowledge, and will showcase poetic and artistic voices and perspectives.
Psyche is organised into three sections. Therapeia provides expert insights and practical help in dealing with emotional and psychological challenges. Eudaimonia focuses on thought-provoking responses to perennial questions about how to live well. Poiesis explores the imaginative, artistic and transcendent facets of life.
Psyche has three content channels: Ideas (short articles of 1,000-1,800 words) from experts and writers; Guides, which provide in-depth, expert-written, practical know-how; and Films, which showcase immersive short films. New content is published every weekday.
Noema is a magazine exploring the transformations sweeping our world. We publish essays, reporting, interviews, videos and art on the overlapping realms of philosophy, geopolitics, economics and technology. In doing so, our unique approach is to get out of the usual lanes and cross disciplines, social silos and cultural boundaries. From artificial intelligence and the climate crisis to the future of democracy and capitalism, Noema Magazine seeks a deeper understanding of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century
In ancient Greek, noēma means “thinking” or the “object of thought.” And that is our intention: to delve deeply into the critical issues transforming the world today, at length and with historical context, in order to illuminate new pathways of thought in a way not possible through the immediacy of daily media. In this era of accelerated social change, there is a dire need for new ideas and paradigms to frame the world we are moving into.
The Cross-Check blog on Scientific American has been discontinued but he still writes stories for them.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
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Arc Digital on Medium is the latest addition to my overwhelming number of souces to surf.
Andrew Sullivan has moved back to The Weekly Dish.
