Tech — Work — Ramblings

by Mike Kalvas

202304031221 Breadth of knowledge fuels analogy

Fortune favors the prepared mind1

202110251122 Analogy is a highly effective communication method and tool for thinking. In order to maximize our ability to create analogies for novel problem solving (202211030958 Creative accomplishments happen over time), we must gain as much varied, wide-ranging knowledge as possible.2

202107272242 The Art of using a Zettelkasten can be interpreted loosely as an explicit rendering of connections and analogues between ideas.

Richard Hamming discusses analogy in these terms by extolling the value of turning things over in our minds (202109090947 Idea gardening), creating "hooks" (202308271108 Construct hooks for future knowledge) to other knowledge in order to build new knowledge and cement recall of what we already know (202109060835 Knowledge is constructed, 202109091132 Notes should be densely linked, 202209091141 The goal of note-taking is not to be better at taking notes, it's to be better at thinking).3 He also talks about how creating knowledge and building new analogies seems to happen while acquiring new information by turning it over in our minds before it becomes set and less mutable. He is a big proponent of my personal belief of 202304041100 Learn, don't memorize.

  1. Thomas, D., & Hunt, A. (2019). The pragmatic programmer, 20th anniversary edition: Journey to mastery (Second edition) (pp. 255). Addison-Wesley. ↩

  2. Epstein, D. (2019). Range: How generalists triumph in a specialized world (1st ed.). Macmillan. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41795733-range ↩

  3. Hamming, R. W. (2020). The art of doing science and engineering: Learning to learn. Stripe Press. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53349431-the-art-of-doing-science-and-engineering ↩