Zettelkasten Forum


Working with arguments and generating novel insights

edited September 26 in Workflows

Hello zettlers!

I am practicing working with knowledge building blocks nowadays. Can you critically evaluate the following? The particular aspect I am interested in is what should be in the inside of every note so that value is created, whether I have redundancies in the chain and if you apply strict argumentative structure in your Zettelkasten. Right now I am writing a dissertation-style essay, I don't have a specific question yet but appreciate tips and tricks about empirical observations. My goal is to evaluate a theory critically in relation to a psychological construct. I am thinking about if I can go further from whether theory applies to that construct to generating original insight about cognitive model of the mind. I also wonder if this is possible with analysis, too. OK, let me restate my questions:

  1. What should be inside the notes I mentioned? I am not good at using knowledge flower or idea compass type of tools.
  2. Do I really have to store every step in this argument?
  3. What are the other ways than using empirical observations to support/refute the theory? One thing that comes to my mind is analyzing patterns in empirical observations; thus starting from the data, not the theory. But I'm bad at applying the opposite direction in my Zettelkasten. It's hard to rotate the workflow in mind.
  4. How novel insight can be generated from critical analysis? Doesn't we need lateral information to create knowledge? For example finding that one experiment is refuting the theory is a lateral information for me.

IPT = information-processing theory

  1. IPT is an input-output model (Specifics of what parts of it corresponds to i/o model)
  2. Biological cognition is a complex system (Specifics of what parts of it corresponds to complex system)
  3. I/O models cannot explain complex systems (The note form is "Limitations of input-output models in explaining complex systems") (Principle-based)
  4. IPT cannot fully explain biological cognition (Specifics of what aspects of biological cognition are disregarded, e.g. visceral input)

By the way, it's a really straightforward leap I made in my so called argument. But the reason to divide it so much is to prepare blocks for the future and I believe information attached to every one of them is important. Plus, I am taking baby steps I should admit.

Extra Question: How do you update your processes? It took me 30 mins to write this forum post. At first, it was a workflow question and edited it multiple times. Again, it's not coming up with a new principle you should follow after freewriting and organizing. Do you reach to insights as like me (starting muddy and iterating until coming up with something clear) or am I too flawed, lol?

PS: I edited the note so the category is wrong now. 🤫

Post edited by c4lvorias on

Selen. Psychology freak.

“You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”

― Ursula K. Le Guin

Comments

  • Is the fundamental question on how to build on the argument IPT not being able to explain cognition fully?

    I am a Zettler

  • edited September 27

    @Sascha said:
    Is the fundamental question on how to build on the argument IPT not being able to explain cognition fully?

    The goal is to write a critical analysis of IPT with empirical observations from metacognition research.

    There are well-developed critiques I should include and I have to add my own perspective either in the form of new critique or new perspective to existing critique. So, it's half open-ended.

    My structure note of IPT includes context, structure (concepts, constructs, mechanisms and boundaries) and function (assumptions, strengths, limitations and implications).

    There are two problems:

    1. My leaps in arguments are small.
    2. I both use top-down and bottom-up thinking and the physical process of juggling everything is not intuitive yet. But I know the answer is not to force atomicity, first. So I chose to go with more targeted questions.

    Selen. Psychology freak.

    “You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”

    ― Ursula K. Le Guin

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