Sequence-branch duality: An antidote to the radial world of children notes
This abstract is copied and pasted from two Zettels: "Sequence-branch duality", and "Reading radial branches".
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Sequence-branch duality is a (proposed) theory that unifies sequences, and branches, in a Zettelkasten. At it's most basic, we can read all branching notes as a linear sequence. In Antinets, Folgezettels are immediately easier to read. In temporal Zettelkastens, sequence-branch duality grants us the power to branch or sequence as much as we like.
The idea of duality comes from wave-particle duality, where light moves like a wave but strikes like a particle.
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Zettelkasten replies: But wait. Sequence-branch duality assumes that all branches centralize at a higher parent note. You'll have a lot of radial branches instead, extending from that parent note, which is it's own problem.
It can seem quite daunting to read a radially branching note in a sequence. However, consider the entire cluster of notes like spokes on a bike wheel. The spokes give us plenty of strength, but we care more about the tire itself. We ride on the tire, not the spokes.
You might also wish to think of a clock. The numbers extend outward radically, yet we find it in ourselves to read it clockwise, as the hour and minute hands move. We read from 1 to 2 to 3 to … to 12.
If you're coming from an outliner, you might also wish to consider bullet-points. The children bullet points may not be a sequence. However, because of their shared context in the parent bullet point, we can still read them from top to bottom and get a great gist.