202409221119 Status: #idea Tags: #learning_theory # Writing is both the means and the ends of learning Writing helps us clarify gaps in our knowledge, connect ideas to other related ideas, and probe counterfactuals surrounding an idea. As such, we cannot really say that we have *learned* anything other than the surface-level details of text before we engage in writing about it. This is writing as a means of learning. Once we have learned something to a deep degree through writing, we will inevitably come to new insights. These insights, however, are useless if we don't write them down as well. We will not receive credit for unpublished insights, and so our career and reputation will suffer in comparison to the world in which we write prolifically. And, at a more basic level, if we do not write down the insight, we run two risks the jeopardize our learning process: 1. We might forget the insight 2. We will leave potential learning opportunities on the table by not connecting the insight to previously-written notes. And from #2 above, we see that the process of generating new insights naturally leads to *more* learning and *more* insights if done right. Thus, writing needs to be a core part of the learning - both note-taking and writing for publication. [[Zettelkasten is accelerated traversal through Bloom's taxonomy]] --- # References [[How to take smart notes_ one simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking]]