The title of notes (does (not) matter)
202309222216
In Luhmann’s original Zettelkasten (Improved Translation of “Communications With Zettelkastens” - Sascha), the titles for notes are fixed-order numbers that allow for free internal branching (e.g. 57/12 can be succeeded by 57/13, complemented by a thought with 57/12a, or attached to 57/12a1.)
I often get caught up with the titles of notes and their atomicity. I have several quite similar notes on Psychedelics, like
- Psychedelics decrease BOLD activity
- Psychedelics increase BOLD signal variance in medial temporal lobes
- etc.
and it’s difficult to ascertain whether these should be part of the same note or not (e.g. Effect of psychedelics on the BOLD response).
The issue is that the title of notes does matter in a digital PKM — while Luhmann would simply have index cards spread out, that same interaction is not possible even when looking at the graph of one’s PKM software — all you see are note titles. It is, of course, possible to lay all these out on a Canvas, and it may be the case that Obsidian improves on this in the future, allowing for a skeuomorphic experience.