Top all-time · #55
Maria Popova
Personal blog · brainpickings.org · on HN as grzmwritingphilosophy
Maria Popova writes The Marginalian, a personal blog at brainpickings.org about writing and philosophy. Since 2009, 503 different Hacker News readers have linked it 738 times, most often “How to Criticize with Kindness: The Four Steps to Arguing Intelligently”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-11-01, and you can follow it by feed.
Sometimes recommended · 12 of 40 sampled comments recommend it?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Brain Pickings for book, science, philosophy and literature posts, and point people to the site to browse. Most comments cite individual posts as sources rather than judging them.
- Recommended for · 12 comments
- Called a meaningful inventory of Life; one post expands its topic well; a letters collection is really wonderful.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 40 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Marginalia on our search for meaning.
Most-linked posts?
- How to Criticize with Kindness: The Four Steps to Arguing Intelligently12 people · 25 mentions · first linked 2015-10-23
- Umberto Eco's Anti-Library (2015)11 people · 15 mentions · first linked 2016-02-20
- /9 people · 9 mentions · first linked 2016-02-07
- The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Critical Thinking8 people · 11 mentions · first linked 2015-12-11
- Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives7 people · 8 mentions · first linked 2016-02-18
- Richard Feynman's Extraordinary Letter to His Departed Wife6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2017-11-22
- /6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2012-05-07
- When Einstein Met Tagore: On the Edge of Science and Spirituality4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2015-10-24
- John Cleese on the Five Factors to Make Your Life More Creative (2012)4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2016-10-06
- Hunter S. Thompson’s Superb Advice on purpose and a meaningful life4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2013-11-10
What Hacker News says?
Ah! When it comes to arguments, yes, I do agree that their supporting examples really ought to be true-to-life. But I don't think that's quite what was going on here. munificent was using a metaphor in service of his plea, his encouragement, his advice that you really ought to consider making regular efforts at what you care about. To me, that feels a lot less technical and a lot more human than an argument does. Th…
Comment linking /2012/01/27/famous-authors-on-truth-vs-fiction/
on “The unreasonable effectiveness of just showing up everyday”Submitted Woz on Creativity: Work Alone as a story · 249 points
HN discussionI like the "civil and substantive" aspect of moderation here at HN. I'd also like to see something along the lines of Rapoport's Rules[0] and the Principles of Charity[1] embodied in the community. Rapoport's Rules: How to compose a successful critical commentary: - You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “Tell HN: Political Detox Week – No politics on HN for one week”Submitted Richard Feynman's Extraordinary Letter to His Departed Wife as a story · 235 points
HN discussionI understand where you're coming from. I likewise want people to feel like they can discuss issues that are important to them. And I can also understand why people often respond passionately and possibly uncivilly in response to what they perceive (and sometimes objectively is) incivility. That said, I don't agree with it. It's just not effective in the vast majority of cases, and I see the severe polarization in th…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “Obama Commutes Bulk of Chelsea Manning’s Sentence”Submitted How to give a great presentation: advice from a legendary adman (2012) as a story · 224 points
HN discussionI understand your frustration. The desire to respond in a constructive way is necessary for us to go forward, especially now. For me, a part of that is to try my best to (a) give the people I'm talking to the benefit of the doubt that they're engaging in good faith; and (b) try not to use language that escalates any tensions. Online text discussion makes this especially fraught, given its low-bandwidth: we only get…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “Shame on Y Combinator”- pg · 2013-07-02
Submitted Oh, My Hand: Complaints Medieval Monks Scribbled in the Margins of Manuscripts as a story · 219 points
HN discussion Here's one version, from Daniel Dennett: > How to compose a successful critical commentary: > 1. You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way. > 2. You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement). > 3. You should mention anything you have…
Comment linking /index.php/2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “New Hacker News Guideline: Avoid Gratuitous Negativity”Submitted John Cleese on How to Make Your Life More Creative as a story · 176 points
HN discussionBrain Pickings [1] is estimated to make a significant amount of money from affiliate links. The exact number is disputed, but it's not chump change [2]. [1] http://brainpickings.org [2] https://gigaom.com/2013/02/14/the-brainpickings-brouhaha-and...
Comment linking /
on “Top Books on Amazon Based on Links in Hacker News Comments”Submitted Vi Hart on Stravinsky's Atonal Compositions [video] as a story · 172 points
HN discussionhttps://www.brainpickings.org/ The title truly says "A meaningful inventory of Life". I get lost in the labryinths in that blog covering science, philosophy, literature & art.
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite internet rabbit hole?”Submitted Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014) as a story · 165 points
HN discussionYes, Anatol Rapaport's rules are very useful for constructive debate. https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapo... How to compose a successful critical commentary: 1. You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way. 2. You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “Bob Taylor Has Died”Submitted Bruce Lee’s Letters to Himself About Authenticity, Personal Development as a story · 162 points
HN discussionPlease default to the strongest possible interpretation of another's comment. Give them the benefit of the doubt. If you have an honest question that will move the discussion productively forward, please, by all means ask it. But if you're just looking to pick something apart, please just refrain from doing so. I find Rapoport's rules a good starting place for reflection on how to move a discussion forward, particul…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “New antibody attacks 99% of HIV strains”Submitted Umberto Eco's Anti-Library (2015) as a story · 152 points
HN discussionI'm not sure I quite share your view of what art aims to do. Iris Murdoch had a line that tyrants fear art because art forces them to confront the truth. If one believes, as Murdoch suggests, that art aims to express a truth as clearly as possible then the qualities of good technical writing and good fiction are entirely compatible. I'd suggest the distinction lies more in the extent to which the sensibilities of th…
Comment linking /2013/01/14/how-to-write-with-style-kurt-vonnegut/
on “How to Write Usefully”Submitted The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Critical Thinking as a story · 141 points
HN discussion+1 on Brain Pickings. Recently discovered this and have been using the Surprise Me button to find random goods to read https://www.brainpickings.org/surprise/
Comment linking /surprise/
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted When Einstein Met Tagore as a story · 140 points
HN discussionMaria Popova https://www.brainpickings.org/ Tom Murphy https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/ Cathy O'Neil https://mathbabe.org/ Peter Woit (Not Even Wrong) https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/ Autumn Gearhart Rain https://rainintheforecast.wordpress.com/
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted Why We Hurt Each Other: Tolstoy’s Letters to Gandhi as a story · 129 points
HN discussionSchopenhauer's 19th century essay "On Authorship" has been a personal fave since discovering it last year: Writing for money and reservation of copyright are, at bottom, the ruin of literature. No one writes anything that is worth writing, unless he writes entirely for the sake of his subject. What an inestimable boon it would be, if in every branch of literature there were only a few books, but those excellent! Thi…
Comment linking /2014/01/13/schopenhauer-on-authorship/
on “The Return of the 90s Web”Submitted Why Haters Hate: Kierkegaard Explains the Psychology of Trolling in 1847 as a story · 118 points
HN discussionIt sounds like there's hope for you, especially since you are now aware of what you wish to mindfully pursue. I'd suggest that you not beat yourself up over the past, and always, always keep in mind the Creative Gap: https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/02/22/ira-glass-on-the-se...
Comment linking /2012/02/22/ira-glass-on-the-secret-of-success/
on “Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5B”Submitted What Left-Handedness Reveals About How the Brain Works (2014) as a story · 116 points
HN discussionThanks for the Principle of Charity link! It calls to mind Anotol's Rapoport's rules, summarized by Daniel Dennett as: > How to compose a successful critical commentary: > * You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way. > * You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of…
Comment linking /2014/03/28/daniel-dennett-rapoport-rules-criticism/
on “HN comments are underrated”Submitted Ursula K. Le Guin on “Spare Time” as a story · 105 points
HN discussion
