Using GraphViz to Build Complex Models Bottom-Up • Zettelkasten Method

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Using GraphViz to Build Complex Models Bottom-Up • Zettelkasten Method

When you can't see the whole of a complex issue yet, model it bottom-up: keep a GraphViz note of reinforcing and balancing relationships, research each link in its own note, and let the model of the whole assemble as a byproduct.

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harr

I also had positive experiences with diagram-as-code tools like GraphViz, PlantUML and Mermaid. They nicely complement a digital Zettelkasten because one can quickly visualize relationships. They nicely complement Markdown because they are text first.

In Obsidian I use built-in Mermaid for that effect. This is how the post's example could be implemented in Mermaid:

flowchart TD
    Will -->|+| Deterrents
    Will -->|+| Incentives
    Will -->|+| Action{"Action"}

    Deterrents -.->|-| Action
    Deterrents -.->|-| TN["Threshold for<br/>negentropy perception"]

    Incentives -->|+| Action
    Incentives -->|+| ID["Incentive density"]

    ID -->|+| TN

    Action -.->|-| Energy
    Energy -->|+| Action

    Action -->|+| Reward
    Reward -->|+| Conditioning
    Conditioning -->|+| HabitAccount

    Action -->|+| HabitAccount
    HabitAccount -->|+| Action
    HabitAccount -->|+| DP["Desensitization<br/>to pain"]
    DP -->|+| SE["Self-esteem"]

It looks like this:

Personally, I prefer words to +/- symbols. I learned from Novak's concept maps that a lot of insight can be gained by verbalizing the relationship. The quality of the relationship is still indicated by the stroke. For example like this:

Diagram-as-code tools are useful. However, they can't handle too much complexity. At some point one needs to draw a chart manually for a more refined layout.