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Introduction into Luhmanns Zettelkasten-Thinking and its Technical Implementation.

  • October 2015
DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.20971.03365
  • Conference: Trier Digital Humanities Autumn School
Authors:
Daniel Lüdecke at University Medical Center Hamburg - Eppendorf
Daniel Lüdecke
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Introduction into Luhmann’s Zettelkasten-thinking and its technical implementation This lecture gives an introduction into a specific scholarly technique of reading and excerpting texts and organizing personal knowledge: the fundamental principle of building a “Zettelkasten” (slip box), as practiced by Niklas Luhmann. The aim of this lecture is, first, to illustrate the theoretical background and working principle of Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten; second, a computer based implementation of this technique is demonstrated, which – in contrast to many other available software solutions – aims at reproducing the working principle of Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten.
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Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Introduction to Luhmann’s Zettelkasten-
thinking and its technical implementation
Dr. Daniel Lüdecke
Department of Medical Sociology, Hamburg
d.luedecke@uke.de
http://zettelkasten.danielluedecke.de
1
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Outline
Principles of managing notes
Luhmann‘s principle of organizing his Zettelkasten
Technical implementation: the Zettelkasten
2
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes
Categories
Tagging
Links / references
3
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Categories
CUEcards
4
Source: http://www.mhst.net/cuecards/
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Categories
Advantages
Easy structure
No need to remember all “categories” when content grows
Disadvantages
No comfortable “multiple storage”
Less flexibility when content grows
-How to decide which category is best for a note?
-What if older notes would fit better into a new category?
5
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Tagging
Evernote
6
Source: Screenshot of personal Evernote-account
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Tagging
Evernote
7
Source: Screenshot of personal Evernote-account
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Tagging
Advantages
“multiple storage”
Flexible assignment of new notes when content grows
Disadvantages
To link notes (via identical tags), need to remember tags even
for large data base
No unique assignment of notes to categories
(where to find a note?)
8
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Links / References
ConnectedText
9
Source: http://www.connectedtext.com/screenshots.php
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Principles of Managing Notes:
Links / References
Advantages
(non-)thematic linkage of notes
Explore / find notes that are not directly related via “link path”
(navigating from 1st over 2nd to 3rd note)
Disadvantages
Selective or specific retrieval of notes difficult
Limited scope of linkage, or at least impractical workflow for
“multiple storage” and connections
10
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle of Organizing his
Zettelkasten
No categories
Linkage / reference
Tagging and register
Arbitrary “branching” of note sequences
11
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: No Categories
Categories mean
determination of internal structure
less flexibility, especially “in the long run“ of knowledge
management and storage
No categories mean
requires unique numbering of notes (ID)
in combination with fixed position of notes in Zettelkasten
(else notes would get lost / cannot be retrieved)
12
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: No Categories
13
Source: Niklas Luhmann-Archiv/Universität Bielefeld (http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/)
unique note ID, indicating
the position of notes
inside the Zettelkasten
reference to another note
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: No Categories
Categories mean
determination of internal structure
less flexibility, especially “in the long run“ of knowledge
management and storage
No categories mean
unique numbering of notes
in combination with fixed position of note in Zettelkasten
(else note would get lost / cannot be retrieved)
Fixed position resp. specific order of notes not necessary in
electronic Zettelkasten!
14
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Linkage / Reference
Unique note numbers (ID) allow selective or specific
links / references between notes
Number of links / references – in theory – unlimited
Easily solves the problem of “multiple storage“:
If a note does not fit into a single category, build
relations between multiple notes with links /
references
Puts notes into different “relationships” (contexts)
15
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Linkage / Reference
16
Source: Niklas Luhmann-Archiv/Universität Bielefeld (http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Tagging and Register
Separate register with core keywords (“tags”),
referencing to selected(!) notes
Purpose of register was to find an “entrance” (starting
point) into the Zettelkasten
In certain cases, notes also had tags
Tags don’t have the primary purpose to create links
between notes
17
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Tagging and Register
18
Source: Niklas Luhmann-Archiv/Universität Bielefeld (http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/)
keywords reference to
related note
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Branching
Notes can be “concatenated”, resulting in “note
sequences”
Necessary in physical Zettelkasten due to limited space on
paper notes
In electronic Zettelkasten, no text limits for notes, however it
is also recommended to keep notes short
New or sub topics can branch off from notes in a
sequence, leading to a “tree structure” of note-
relations
19
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Branching
20
Source: Niklas Luhmann-Archiv/Universität Bielefeld (http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Branching
Source: Niklas Luhmann-Archiv/Universität Bielefeld (http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Luhmann‘s Principle: Branching
Branching and note sequences allow “story telling”
Cum grano salis, branching and note sequences are
“developing” or evolving texts on a specific topic
(sequence) or side topics (branching)
Branching allows reduction of complexity concerning
tags and register
The key is to combine all techniques: Note sequences
and branching, in combination with tags / register and
links / references
22
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Note A
Note D
Note C Note B
23
A Network of Tagged or Linked Notes
Note E
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Note A
Note D
Note C Note B
24
A Network of Tagged or Linked Notes
Note E
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Note A
Note D
Note C Note B
25
A Network of Tagged or Linked Notes
Note E
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Note A
Note D
Note C Note B
26
A Network of Tagged or Linked Notes
Note E
connections can be created automatically,
based on identical keywords
however, no specific manual links to
other notes
manual references solve problem
of linking notes that in some way
relate to each other (but are
not automatically linked)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
A Network of Tagged or Linked Notes:
Not what Luhmann did!
Networked notes means lose coupling of notes and
arbitrary relationships
No (linear) development of ideas becomes visible
Due to missing hierarchy, the relationship and context
between notes remains unclear
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Branching and Note Sequences
28
Note A
Note A1
Note A1,a
Note A1,b
Note A2
Note A2,a
Note A3
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Branching and Note Sequences
29
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Branching and Note Sequences
30
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Branching and Note Sequences
31
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Branching and Note Sequences:
Not what Luhmann did!
Using note sequences and branches only means a
kind of “sticking“ to one category
Branching and note sequences allow to explore
relationships between notes …
… however, this does not allow for „surprises“
(creativity), due to lack of flexibility
(once a “path” is chosen, can’t leave the trace)
32
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
33
System
write down an idea
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
34
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
write down and
develop an idea
(relationship of notes)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
35
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structual
Coupling
add side or sub topics,
as the idea develops
(different relationships
of notes)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
36
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
add manual links /
references between
relevant notes
(relationship of
relationsips)
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
37
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
How is the “story”
(relationship) from
System to Reality related
with (the story from
System to) Contingency?
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
38
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
add keywords to register
Register
Boundary: Note 321
Contingency: Note 123
System: Note 10
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
39
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
Research question about
systems?
Register
Boundary: Note 321
Contingency: Note 123
System: Note 10
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Putting all together
(what Luhmann did!)
40
System
System /
Environment
Boundary
Reality
Complexity
Contingency
Structural
Coupling
Research question about
contingency?
Register
Boundary: Note 321
Contingency: Note 123
System: Note 10
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Summary: Key Elements of Luhmann‘s
Zettelkasten-Principle
Write (small) notes, using note sequences to develop
an idea or topic
Where possible or necessary (i.e., if an idea can be
considered as “start” of a new note sequence, but
does fit into the current linear argumentation), branch
off a new idea-path
Check if similar topic or “story line” has been written
down elsewhere; if yes, add manual links / references
Identify relevant notes that function as “starting” point
and tag these notes
41
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Technical Implementation:
The Zettelkasten
free download at
http://zettelkasten.danielluedecke.de
42
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Technical Implementation:
The Zettelkasten (Overview)
43
note content
note meta information
note-related keywords
“Zettelkasten” data base
adding a new note
Source: http://zettelkasten.danielluedecke.de
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Where to find Luhmann‘s Key Elements?
Keywords and Manual References
keywords
automatically created links
between notes (based on
identical keywords)
manual links
manual links
manual links
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Where to find Luhmann‘s Key Elements?
Branching and Note Sequences
note sequences
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Comparison: Branching and Note Sequences in
Luhmann‘s digitalized Zettelkasten
Source: http://ds.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/viewer/!image/ZK_digital_21/10/-/ Source: http://zettelkasten.danielluedecke.de
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Where to find Luhmann‘s Key Elements?
Registers and Search Options
keyword register
fulltext search
authors register
complete list of notes
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Workflow of Luhmann‘s Principle
in the electronic Zettelkasten
48
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Workflow of Luhmann‘s Principle
in the electronic Zettelkasten
Think about the topic or subject, where a new note
fits into
Find a starting point in the Zettelkasten related to this
topic and start reading / exploring your existing notes
(sequences)
Decide whether the note is
the start of a new topic / sequence
fits into an existing note sequence (continuing an existing
note sequence)
fits into an existing note sequence (but branching off a new
sub topic)
49
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Workflow of Luhmann‘s Principle
in the electronic Zettelkasten
Depending on where the note joins or fits into the
Zettelkasten, think about tagging your note
Which (parallel) note sequences are related to this
note? Are there relevant notes in other sequences? If
yes, add manual links between notes
Less is beautiful: Better use fewer keywords, e.g. only
for notes that start a new note sequence, branch off
inside a sequence or very important “key notes”
50
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Workflow of Luhmann‘s Principle
in the electronic Zettelkasten
Always remember:
“The Zettelkasten
is much more effort
and time consuming
than writing books.”
Niklas Luhmann, Shortcuts, p.26
51
Source: http://www.fremdlesen.de/?p=297
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Writing notes …
… and even books ;-)
52
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Writing a New Note and Adding Tags / Keywords
53
writing down
the note content
select related keywords (will be
highlighted in note text on selection)
switch to author list to
add references
or add keywords manually
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Writing a New Note: Adding Manual Links
select word or
text fragment
klick manual-link-icon
enter number of
target note
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
„Writing books“
(from Notes to Text: The Outliner)
55
create outline
add notes
re-arrange notes
view text
edit notes to create junctions
between text fragments
Daniel Lüdecke
Institut für Medizinische Soziologie
Introduction to Luhmann's Zettelkasten-
thinking and its technical implementation
Dr. Daniel Lüdecke
Department of Medical Sociology, Hamburg
d.luedecke@uke.de
56
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luhmann.png
http://zettelkasten.danielluedecke.de
‘Mere chips from his workshop’: Gotthard Deutsch’s monumental card index of Jewish history
Article
Gotthard Deutsch (1859–1921) taught at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati from 1891 until his death, where he produced a card index of 70,000 ‘facts’ of Jewish history. This article explores the biography of this artefact of research and poses the following question: Does Deutsch’s index constitute a great unwritten work of history, as some have claimed, or are the cards ultimately useless ‘chips from his workshop’? It may seem a curious relic of positivistic history, but closer examination allows us to interrogate the materiality of scholarly labor. The catalogue constitutes a total archive and highlights memory’s multiple registers, as both a prosthesis for personal recall and a symbol of a ‘human encyclopedia’. The article argues that this mostly forgotten scholar’s work had surprising repercussions: Deutsch’s student Jacob Rader Marcus (1896–1995) brought his teacher’s emphasis on facticity to the field of American Jewish history that he pioneered, catapulting a 19th-century positivism to the threshold of the 21st century. Deutsch’s index was at an inflection point of knowledge production, created as historians were shifting away from ‘facts’ but just before new technologies (also based on cards) enabled ‘big data’ on a larger scale. The article thus excavates a vision of monumentality but proposes we look past these objects as monuments to ‘heroic’ scholarship. Indeed, Deutsch’s index is massive but middling, especially when placed alongside those of Niklas Luhmann, Paul Otlet, or Gershom Scholem. It thus presents a necessary corrective to anointing such indexes as predecessors to the Internet and big data because we must keep their problematic positivism in perspective.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.