Thinking cannot be only a purely internal mental process because of the limitations of the mind. External structures (like Zettelkasten) are necessary to support serious thinking. They enable to make more meaningful connections and not rely on our ability to retrieve information (which is limited). And because Learning best happens by making connections, this external structure also supports learning.
"The power of an unaided mind is overrated. Without external aid, memory, though and reasoning are all constrained." – Don Norman
Serious thinking requires external structure to support it.
People naturally extend information onto the external world. We use space to aid understanding. By doing this, we also create something other people can interact with – the benefit of creating external structures to support thinking is multiplied by this.
"External structures" is part of the idea that Thinking happens not only in our brains, but also bodies and environment.
Tags: note-taking Circular process of writing understanding thinking tools
ID: 2021-0109-0841
References:
Author: Sönke Ahrens Type: #book Reference: Ahrens, S. (2017). How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning…
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