Web Review: Edge
Books, lectures, films and articles on the state of society, and speculation over where it’s going, have never been in short supply. The amount of it worth reading, on the other hand… well, that’s something else again. One site that takes a broad view of what a public intellectual is, and what they have to offer, is Edge.
The site is a hodgepodge of current thinking in and about the arts, sciences, and culture. Past and present contributors have included Stewart Brand, Brian Eno, Clifford Stoll, Esther Dyson, Elaine Pagels, and Stephen Jay Gould. The Foundation seeks to lay bare the forces shaping modern life, “rendering visible the deeper meanings of our lives, redefining who and what we are.” It’s an ambitious undertaking, and if its reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, it never fails to make for interesting reading.
Tags: forums, futurism, public intellectuals, salons