My Commonplace Book

ommonplace book

I'm reading an excellent book on where ideas come from. I read it in very small chunks every night before I go to bed. There are so many interesting ideas in there that I prefer only to have a few pages at a time so I can soak it up.

But one thing I read last night that really interested me was this very popular enlightenment habit which was called a commonplace book. It was a book with all the thoughts they had on everything.

It was based on the important presumptions that thoughts are fleeting. That many good and useful thoughts would be useful later on but lost to the world if you didn't write them down.

Moreover you have no idea whether it's useful at the time. Thoughts are muddled. The devastating simplicity of evolution didn't come in a Eureka moment to Darwin (despite him later developing a narrative around the inspiration Malthus was meant to give him) but by just keeping on going, making notes, re reading the notes. Keeping working, keeping thinking.

And it seems worth doing for those with less grandiose ambitions then discovering the origins of mankind.

I've been vaguely doing it already. The notes function on my phone is very handy for this kind of withering. But the difference is I'm going to post it.

Two reasons for that: one the tagging systems is a useful filing system. And the ability to link back or add comments can keep it all connected

And of course there's a chance someone will read it and either find something useful for their own purposes or leave their own thought which will help the process.

I've realised that I've never written anything I'm proud of where a significant element wasn't suggested by someone else. So please let me steal more ideas from you.