"To think," Ayn Rand states, "is an active process of consciousness in which the mind identifies personal impressions in conceptual terms, integrating events and observations into various abstract concepts. The individual's mind then uses the faculty of reason to identify relationships, differences, and similarities between the different conceptual materials, deducing, asking questions, and making inferences about the concept. Finally, concluding and manipulating the conceptual material into new and exciting ideas." [^1] I would say, "in a nutshell;" however, Rand has never been a "nutshell" kind of thinker.
To think then requires our mind to identify personal impressions in conceptual terms. The process of conceptualizing consists of our mind "interpreting" the concept from a more easily understood rational, i.e., "we can more easily conceptualize speed in miles per hour." [^2] Through our conceptualization, the mind can integrate the event and other observations into "various abstract concepts." The process happens at the speed of thought, and while every word in language represents a concept [^3], we have grown up with the process and may not recognize it when it occurs, even at the most basic level.
Thinking, however, requires more than combining words for communication. Thought induces reason to help us identify relationships between constituent parts, note differences, or similarities, ask questions, and make inferences through deduction regarding the concept in question. Finally, Ayn Rand indicates that with the thought successfully identified and understood, we can manipulate the material into "new and exciting ideas."
Understanding the process is one thing; applying it in our lives can be something else entirely. However, the Zettelkasten [^4] methodology can help.
When we capture a note, [^5] [^6] from a book, article, or personal prose, that message should be composed ideally in conceptualized form with a clear concept. The straightforward idea is what is meant by "the principle of atomicity." [^7] These "singular grains of knowledge" [^8] represent the "various abstract concepts" mentioned by Rand in the opening statement.
The Principle of Atomicity, coined by Christian Tietze, is one of the bedrock principles of the Zettelkasten methodology and one of the most significant stumbling blocks. Unfortunately, Christian needs to distinguish in his paper Create Zettel from Reading Notes According to the Principle of Atomicity [^9] the difference between a Zettel and a completed essay.
The methodology created by Niklas Luhmann [^10] is not new or singular. Writers have used various note-taking card file indexes with systems dating back to the 17th century. [^11] Many modern writers also use some version of the technique to "capture, collect, organize, and transform notes into published work." [^12] I can't speak to the intent of modern writers; however, Luhmann's system appears specifically designed to save and link concepts. [^13]
Single grains of knowledge, individual concepts, appear then to be the base on which to build our thinking process. Rand does not seem to place a limit on identifying our impressions for inclusion into our system. Indeed, "integrating every event and every observation" [^14] is more reminiscent of Michael J. Gelb's prescription for developing a da Vinci diary. [^15] The model, according to Gleb, is based on Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and recommends that people should capture information on "any subject you fancy," including but not limited to: "science, art, music, food, health..." and record your "questions, observations, insights, jokes, dreams," and even words that fascinate you. [^16] "Grasping relationships, differences, similarities... and of abstracting them into new concepts." [^17]
Niklas Luhmann referred to this process of grasping relationships between his notes as "references." [^18] He preferred references that led away [^19] from general or broad notions of the obvious, desiring instead references that are "unexpected." Luhmann considered this process to be communicating with his slip-box and found connecting these "disparate thoughts worthwhile." [^20] The modern Zettelkasten world refers to this process as "Serendipity," i.e., the "development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way." [^21] Best-selling author Stephen King says, "good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky; two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up." [^22]
Ideally, we should spend some time thinking every day. Who knows, maybe we can connect a few dots, leading us to answers before we think of the question.
Footnotes:
[^1]: Rand, Ayn (1964-11-01). The Virtue of Selfishness (pp. 9-10). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Location 314.
[^2]: [conceptualizing definition - Search (bing.com)](https://www.bing.com/search?q=conceptualizing+definition&form=ANNTH1&refig=83189fba2c08469fb09175536990e328)
[^3]: Rand, Ayn (1964-11-01). The Virtue of Selfishness. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Location 307.
[^4]: Fast, Sascha. (2020, October 27). Zettelkasten. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://zettelkasten.de/introduction/
[^5]: Fast, Sascha. “Zettelkasten.” *4 Use Cases to Determine What a Zettel Should Be • Zettelkasten Method*, 13 Sept. 2015, zettelkasten.de/posts/what-is-a-zettel/.
[^6]: McPherson, Fiona P.hD. (2018). Effective Notetaking, 3rd edition; Wayz Press. p.13.
[^7]: Tietze, Christian. “Zettelkasten.” *Create Zettel from Reading Notes According to the Principle of Atomicity • Zettelkasten Method*, 3 Sept. 2013, zettelkasten.de/posts/create-zettel-from-reading-notes/.
[^8]: Scholle, Gerrit (Gescho) (2019, September 4). Retrieved from https://zettelkasten.de/posts/lattice-of-thoughts/
[^9]: Tietze, Christian. “Zettelkasten.” *Create Zettel from Reading Notes According to the Principle of Atomicity • Zettelkasten Method*, 3 Sept. 2013, zettelkasten.de/posts/create-zettel-from-reading-notes/.
[^10]: Niklas Luhmann. (2022, November 17). In _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklas_Luhmann
[^11]: Aldrich, C. (2021, July 3). _Differentiating online variations of the Commonplace Book: Digital Gardens, Wikis, Zettlekasten, Waste Books, Florilegia, and Second Brains_. https://boffosocko.com/2021/07/03/differentiating-online-variations-of-the-commonplace-book-digital-gardens-wikis-zettlekasten-waste-books-florilegia-and-second-brains/
[^12]: [Zettelkasten, Linking Your Thinking, and Nick Milo's Search for Ground | The Daily Pony (bobdoto.computer)](https://writing.bobdoto.computer/zettelkasten-linking-your-thinking-and-nick-milos-search-for-ground/)
[^13]: Ibid
[^14]: Rand, Ayn (1964-11-01). The Virtue of Selfishness (pp. 9-10). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Location 314.
[^15]: Gelb, M. (2004). *How to think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven steps to genius every day*. New York, NY: Delta Trade Paperbacks. p.58.
[^16]: Ibid
[^17]: Rand, Ayn (1964-11-01). The Virtue of Selfishness (pp. 9-10). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Location 314.
[^18]: Thomas, E. (2020, August 23). Understanding Zettelkasten - What it means to communicate with the slip-box. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://medium.com/@ethomasv/understanding-zettelkasten-d0ca5bb1f80e
[^19]: Ibid
[^20]: Ibid
[^21]: [serendipity definition - Search (bing.com)](https://www.bing.com/search?q=serendipity+definition&form=ANNTH1&refig=af5cf363458f4edcb9095f7e9f1b47b3)
[^22]: [Knowledge Processing System for Marketers, Creators & Knowledge Workers](https://tinylittlebusinesses.com/zettelkasten-method/)