up:: [[Zettelkasten]] Tags:: #🌿 # A Brief History of the Zettelkasten The zettelkasten notetaking system is most well known after being popularized by [[Sonhke Ahrens]] in his book, [[How to Take Smart Notes]] where he discusses the prolific writing output of German Researcher [[Nikolas Luhman]] who used an analog or physical zettelkasten method. Luhman wrote notes on physical slip cards which he called [[Zettels]]. Each zettel was organized like this: ![[An Overview of my Zettelkasten System in Obsidian 2022-11-10 15.38.28.excalidraw|1000]] After completing a zettel he would put it into his slip box. Instead of organizing his slip box through in rigid folders, Luhman gave each of his zettels a unique id which he wrote at the top of each zettel. Then he would connect them together in his slip box in one of two ways: 1. Physically in the slip box 2. Referencing a physically separate but related note identifier at the bottom of the slip He referenced the zettels physically by starting with a higher order concept or topic, something very broad, and then slowly adding zettels in a chain by adding new letters and numbers in front of them. For example, he might start a high order note on the history of bonzai trees with an 11 at the top but of the note and then his next note if related would be titled 11a. 11b might be related to 11 but not as much to 11 where as 11a2 would be related to both 11a and 11. Compounding on this over many many iterations allowed him to create a hierarchy of zettels related in a chain like this. ![[Pasted image 20221110152943.png]] But what if a zettels connected in the chain physically was connected to another note outside the chain. Say 11c10 was connected to 26a3? Then Luhman could reference the unique identifier at the bottom of the note, or in the body of the note itself with the unique identifier. The unique identifier could be a number, title, time based or something else. Luhman would also add in the literature note reference of where he got his ideas from at the footer/bottom of the note, so he could always trace back his steps and find the original source. These two organizational systems allowed Luhman to break through the folder based rigid structure so many people still take zettels today. Instead, he could connect related concepts across disciplines. He might connect an idea from evolutionary biology to one on the history of Asian trade across the Silk Roads. It's no wonder he was so prolific. Each day when he came to his slip box he could ask the simple question, "what should I write today Zettelkasten?" Just to be clear, he didn't literally stand in front of his filing cabinet and ask his zettelkasten that. That would be weird. His slip cards naturally clumped together to form writing topics, but also connected in strange, insightful ways that would lead to questions of inquiry coming up naturally rather than being forced from the get-go. And because each slip card had a reference back to the original source on the back, he could always cite his resources when the writing came. Added all up, this made Nikolas Luhman one of the most prolific writers of his time, publishing works ranging from the law, economy, politics, art, religion, ecology, mass media, and love. But his most incredible skill was his ability to instill imposter syndrome in the minds of everyone who was exposed to him. Just talking about him makes me feel insecure about my own notetaking capabilities. Jokes on Luhman though because in the modern era we have power unlike he could ever imagine with digital notetaking tools. These tools like Obsidian, Roam Research, Logseq and more make the linking nature of the zettelkasten easier than ever before. ### Super Brief History of the Zettelkasten Before Luhman Despite Luhman being the face of the zettelkasten method of notetaking, it has a much broader history than from just him. In his article, [[The Two Definitions of Zettelkasten]], Chris Aldrich discusses the deep history and knowledge often swept under the rug by the plethora of YouTubers and bloggers discussing how to use one. Since antiquity, writers, scientists, and other creatives have used commonplace books, notebooks which typically held quotes, thoughts, and ideas in books that resonated with their authors. This practice was closely related to the keeping of *florilegiums* in Christian settings which were collections of literary extracts. In the 16th century, Swiss physician Konrad Gessner (1516 – 1565), building on the commonplace tradition, realized that one’s notes or excerpts might be easier to use if they were cut out of their places on the page and re-arrangeable. So Luhman wasn't the first one to use a zettelkasten esc notetaking method. And before the zettelkasten method and paper even existed humans had to take notes on wood or stone. Heck before that we were entirely oral storytellers. I say this because it's easy to get caught in the weeds when beginning to use the zettelkasten method of notetaking. Where should I connect this note? How should I title the note? What is the meaning of life? But humans have survived without digital notetaking and the zettelkasten method for thousands of years. The tool is only as strong as the person using it. Ye give a tank to a chitmunk and see how much use they make of it. Similarly, you try to ingrain a zettelkasten notetaking method without having the right mindset or goals and it won't do much for you. Related: ___ # Resources