A metaphor for personal knowledge systems as conversations across time
Core Idea: The Stadium of Selves is a metaphor that envisions a PKM system as a vast stadium filled with every version of yourself that has ever existed and will exist, enabling dialogue between your past, present, and future selves.
Key Elements
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Conceptual Framework:
- Visualizes temporal identities as distinct "selves" in conversation
- Presents knowledge management as intrapersonal communication across time
- Transforms static information into dynamic temporal dialogue
- Establishes continuity of identity through preserved thinking
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Participants in the Stadium:
- Past selves with their unique perspectives and knowledge gaps
- Present self as the active curator and contributor
- Future selves as both beneficiaries and aspirational guides
- Alternative selves representing different perspectives or life paths
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Knowledge Dynamics:
- Past knowledge becomes accessible to present understanding
- Current insights are preserved for future retrieval
- Wisdom flows multidirectionally across temporal boundaries
- Each temporal self contributes unique value to collective knowledge
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Applications:
- Decision-making: "How would my future self want me to handle this?"
- Learning: Documenting insights for past selves that never had access
- Personal growth: Creating dialogue between different perspectives
- Problem-solving: Drawing on multiple temporal viewpoints
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Psychological Benefits:
- Creates continuity of self across time periods
- Reduces present bias in decision-making
- Fosters compassion for past and future selves
- Enhances sense of purpose by connecting present actions to future outcomes
Connections
- Related Concepts: Time-spanning Dialogue (mechanism of the Stadium), Mental Playground (environment where the Stadium exists), Fourth Place (dedicated space that enables the Stadium)
- Broader Context: Temporal Self-Continuity (psychological basis for connecting with past/future selves), Intergenerational Equity (similar concept applied to societies)
- Applications: Decision Making (using future self perspective), Legacy Building (creating value for future selves)
- Components: Digital Legacy (preserving thinking for future selves), Temporal Perspectives (viewpoints of different selves)
References
- Sebastien, D. (2024). "Beyond Note-Taking: Creating a Playground for Your Mind"
- Parfit, D. (1984). "Reasons and Persons" (philosophical basis for considering future selves)
#temporal-thinking #personal-identity #pkm #knowledge-management #self-dialogue
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