Knowledge structures are unique, seminal, impactful, or archetypal artifacts for organizing and transmitting ideas. These are not specific books or source. Instead, think of them more like genres that we have developed to preserve and transmit knowledge effectively across time and contexts. For example: catechisms (e.g. Westminster Shorter Catechism), rules (e.g. St. Benedicts Rule), bibliographies (e.g. De Viris Illustribus), encyclopedias (e.g. Encyclopédie), etc.
They help you:
See concrete examples of the elements and patterns in practice
Inspire new ways to communicate ideas, make arguments, structure information, etc.
Imitate great writers and thinkers by appreciating and studying their work.
I think we would benefit from being more charitable towards the authors in our history. It is common to write off a book because of something they don't like about the author or because of something that has since been disproven or discredited in its pages. But there is much to learn from even imperfect books.
Behind every great book, there is someone desperate to transfer knowledge to us. And it is possible to be edified by a writer or thinker while disagreeing with them.
I want this book to be a walk through the personalities, idiosyncrasies, genius, and madness of authors and their books. All this with specific emphasis on the diversity of genre, form, and structure that colors the history of human discourse.
These structures will be presented in the style of Vincent of Beauvais’s “Speculum Maius”, or “Great Mirror”. A "mirror" is a metaphorical framework used in medieval literature to signify a comprehensive reflection of knowledge or reality. The book is divided into three parts: The Mirror of Nature, The Mirror of Doctrine, and The Mirror of History.
I will create “mirrors” for each of the 8 layers of meaning (or knowledge categories). Within each of the sections, there will be entries for the structures representing that specific “way of knowing”.
For each knowledge structure, you will (eventually) find:
the history and background of the structure
some images of relevant pages from books (and other knowledge artifacts) that use that structure
and cross-references to related elements and patterns
You can also view a complete list of structures on the Structure Index.