Myself being very new to Lemmy, would you possibly be able to explain how to search by instance? Is it about finding the right app, or is it simpler to just sign up via different instances?

There used to be a website called WiserEarth (and then later Wiser.org). This was an internet utopia for intellectual, empathetic discussion about sociopolitical, environmental, ecological, and economic discussion. Really miss that community. But yeah, few. And far between.

Wow, thank you my friend. This is a wonderful list. Subscribing to most of these!

Edit: also, “InMyMind” is wonderful! Thank you for curating some fascinating content. 👍

Did not know of this! Gratitude and sincere thanks 🙏

I take this point to heart. I have no problem with respectful individuals trying to better themselves through enrichment, and hope that the diversity of Lemmy communities translates to bastions of high quality standards not possible on centralized platforms like Reddit. Like anything innovative and somewhat disruptive, Lemmy is another social experiment. Personally I’m optimistic that moderators of many communities will maintain high QC and exclusivity.

I don’t disagree. I believe that systems not relying on trust, if cleverly designed, can be simultaneously robust, selective, and autonomously correcting. That being said, the forum format itself, while having inherent drawbacks, is my preferred version of the modern commons for different reasons. It’s not the Platonic ideal of the digital commons, nor, hopefully its last iteration, but I’m hoping Lemmy produces superior communities to Reddit, for instance, simply due to their diversity and decentralized governance.