A Joker in Zettelkasten
In Niklas Luhmann’s slip box, in one chain of his thoughts, there is an interesting observation about the nature of Zettelkasten (It is the card ZK II Zettel 9/8j). He writes:
In the Zettelkasten, there is a note containing an argument that refutes the claims on all other notes. However, this note disappears as soon as you open the Zettelkasten. That is, it takes on a different number, disguises itself, and becomes impossible to find. A wild card.
This metaphor transforms notes into a deck of cards, turning a research project into a game of solitaire. It introduces an element of playfulness and jest. The interlocutor, in this case, becomes a joker, a trickster. Nevertheless, this element may be essential for the entire project’s existence. Zettelkasten shouldn’t be deadly serious. It is not a grave for thoughts nor a place for only grave thoughts. The transformation of ἐπιστήμη into ἐπίστημα happens too often.
Another notable sociologist, Peter Berger, aptly expressed the idea of the need for humor in science:
…study itself will profit greatly from those insights that one can obtain only while laughing. Sociology will be especially well advised not to fixate itself in an attitude of humorless scientism that is blind and deaf to the buffoonery of the social spectacle.¹
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- Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. New York: Anchor Books, 1963. p. 165.
