Great Thinkers: How to Cultivate Wisdom

Introduction

In an age of endless information, it’s easy to feel like you should always know more. The news cycle never stops, social media floods your feed with updates, and a quick search can pull up millions of answers to any question. But does this information actually make us wiser?

In Nexus, historian-philosopher Yuval Noah Harari suggests it may not. He explains that increases in information availability—from the advent of writing to the rise of the internet—have revolutionized the world many times over. Each leap forward has expanded human knowledge, but it has also raised new challenges. Today, the biggest challenges we face are the quality of the information we consume and how we choose to use it—helpfully or harmfully.

In this article, we’ll examine four other Great Thinkers’ advice for cultivating wisdom. Along the way, we’ll consider an essential question: Can you know too much? Or is the real challenge learning what to know, what to ignore, and how to put your knowledge to good use?

Carr: You Know Less Than You Think You Do

We have more access to information than ever, but does that equal wisdom? Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows, says no. Carr explains that the internet encourages a reading style that’s fast, fragmented, and (as the title of his book suggests) shallow. You skim headlines, jump between links, and absorb bite-sized bits of information from short videos and articles. However, you rarely engage deeply enough with the information at your fingertips to truly understand it.

This creates the illusion of knowledge. Because you can instantly look up any fact, you assume you’re well-informed. But knowledge isn’t just about retrieving information—it’s about making sense of it, connecting ideas, and applying them to the real world. According to Carr, your constant exposure to digital content dulls your ability to accomplish this. Instead of fostering true understanding, you become a passive consumer of fragmented data, overwhelmed by a sea of information that doesn’t add up to wisdom.

We can think of the information overload Carr describes as a kind of sensory pollution. In An Immense World, journalist Ed Yong explains that all animals navigate the world through a unique sensory “bubble,” attuned only to the signals that matter for survival. But human activity creates sensory pollution—artificial noise, light, and other stimuli—that can disrupt these natural signals, causing confusion and disorientation. For example, birds rely on a finely tuned sense of hearing to detect predators and find mates. Artificial sounds, like traffic noise, interfere with their ability to hear these crucial signals, making it harder for them to survive and thrive.

Similarly, Carr suggests that the flood of digital information disrupts the human animal’s ability to think clearly, process and integrate new information, and gain the insights we need to navigate life effectively. To combat this, we must consciously filter out the endless “noise” we encounter online and prioritize deeper, more focused engagement with the information that matters. Otherwise, we risk drowning in information while remaining starved for wisdom.

Varol: Knowledge About Yourself

So, what kinds of information should we pay attention to? And how should we go about learning it? According to former rocket scientist-turned-lawyer Ozan Varol, one type of knowledge that’s always valuable is self-knowledge. In Awaken Your Genius, Varol argues in favor of understanding our true selves, the versions of ourselves we present to the world or think we should be. This helps us identify what makes us special and what we want to get out of life. In turn, we can make choices that align with our authentic talents, values, and aspirations, leading to a more fulfilling, meaningful life.

Varol suggests that everything you need to know to understand yourself well is already inside you—there’s no need to turn to outside sources like the internet to define who you are. In fact, looking outside yourself for self-knowledge may be counterproductive, as it can lead to confusion and dilute your true essence. According to Varol, it’s best to tune into your own thoughts, emotions, and experiences as you search for self-knowledge.

However, Varol also acknowledges that intentional media consumption can help you live better by offering valuable insights and broadening your perspective. He recommends that you choose high-quality, long-form content that adds value to your life. This might look like using the world’s information to understand yourself better. For example, if you think you’re a highly sensitive person—someone who feels emotions deeply and is more attuned to external stimuli—reading books on that topic, like Elaine Aron’s The Highly Sensitive Person, can help you better understand and navigate your experiences.

Odell: Knowledge About Your Surroundings

While self-knowledge is worth having, it’s equally important to stay informed about the world around you. Humans are intimately connected to each other and the natural environment, so understanding global events, social dynamics, and environmental challenges helps you navigate life more effectively. However, your efforts to stay informed can easily devolve into doomscrolling, where you get swept up in the deluge of world news and feel overwhelmed by distant events over which you have little control. That's why, as artist Jenny Odell suggests in How to Do Nothing, it’s often wiser to focus your attention on your immediate surroundings.

Odell writes with the intention of helping you resist the attention economy—the system that feeds you endless streams of content to capture (and profit from) your focus. As both Carr and Varol note, this system fragments your attention and leaves you less knowledgeable than you would be if you engaged more deeply with information that’s relevant to you. Odell identifies three spheres of information that are worth learning more about:

• Local nature: Odell recommends getting familiar with your natural environment. This helps you see yourself as part of the natural world, and it can also help you become more attuned to local environmental issues, such as pollution or conservation efforts.
• Local history: Odell explains that understanding your community’s history helps you understand what makes the place where you live unique and worth preserving. It also helps you think about the impact you could make on your community.
• Local community: Odell says getting to know your neighbors helps you make more meaningful connections. Together, you can strategize to solve problems you share—for example, by organizing a neighborhood clean-up to keep your streets beautiful.

By redirecting your attention away from overwhelming global issues, you can gain valuable insights into the issues that are close to home—and channel your energy into actions that improve your daily life. After all, your immediate surroundings are what affect you the most and what you have the most influence over.

Plato: Creating a Wiser World

As you develop more knowledge about yourself and your surroundings, you might wonder what you should do with it. As Yong suggests in The Immense World, information is only valuable when we can use it to sustain or improve life. Similarly, the Greek philosopher Plato suggests you must use the knowledge you’ve gained to improve the lives of others. In The Republic, he illustrates this idea through the allegory of the cave.

In the allegory, prisoners are chained inside a cave, only able to see shadows on the wall. Since that’s all they can see, they believe the shadows to represent the whole of existence. When one prisoner escapes, he gains a deeper understanding of the truth—the world is far richer and more complex than he ever imagined. However, when he returns to share his newfound knowledge, the other prisoners reject him. The idea of a world beyond the cave seems too foreign, overwhelming, and dangerous to accept.

Still, Plato suggests that the prisoner has a moral obligation to return to the cave and attempt to enlighten the others. Since he has a more complete understanding of the world, he’s well-suited to lead the prisoners out of their dark ignorance into the light—and the truth. Likewise, Plato might argue that in modern times, those who have gained deeper knowledge have a duty to share their insights with others.

So, if you’ve broken free from the “cave” of shallow information and distraction, you might help others do the same—for example, by encouraging critical thinking, promoting meaningful dialogue, or simply leading by example. In this way, you help make the world a wiser place—which aligns with Plato’s vision of an ideal society.

Great Thinkers’ Advice for Becoming Wiser

• Nicholas Carr (The Shallows): The internet’s constant distractions make us more shallow thinkers. To become wiser, filter out the “noise” and train your brain to focus deeply on ideas that actually matter to you.
• Ozan Varol (Awaken Your Genius): Wisdom starts with self-knowledge. To understand yourself better, look inward rather than relying on external validation, and be choosy about the media you consume.
• Jenny Odell (How to Do Nothing): To become wiser, stop allowing the “attention economy” to distract you. Instead, learn more about the things that directly impact your life—the local environment, local history, and your neighbors.
• Plato (The Republic): True wisdom isn’t just about personal enlightenment—it comes with a responsibility to help others see the truth. By sharing knowledge in a way that empowers others, you help build a more knowledgeable and just society.

What Do You Think?

Consider your internet browsing habits—do you think they make you more knowledgeable, or just distracted? What’s something you’d like to gain more wisdom about? How could you use your knowledge and the wisdom derived from it to improve society?