The 19th-Century Philosopher Who Predicted Data Overload

When it comes to information, more is not always better

Photo: Pennsylvania State University

Ours is a noisy time, but it is not only acoustic noise that is worrisome. A more treacherous clamor is mental noise: the flood of images and information — some useful, most not — that bombards us incessantly. The decibel levels for mental noise are off the chart.