Map everything

Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto (I am man, nothing that is human is indifferent to me)

Many years ago, I was living in a flat that was a converted hospital from the Crimean war, staffed by Florance Nightingale. The slightly odd layout of the flat had a 3/4 roof high storage space that in the center of the flat, creating the main living area. This created a large wall with space on top. I had the idea of getting a large industrial roll of paper and trying to write out every single thing I knew.

Large diagram with links between places, ideas, books, music. movies etc. I wanted to join everything I had ever thought into some sort of structure, a non-linear diary.

I ended up leaving the flat, lost track of the diagram, but the idea remained.

The goal?

• What if you could map everything? Connect ideas and follow them as far as you wish?
• What of you could get answers to any question, define key terms, find specific thinkers or real world examples.?
• What if you challenge ideas to get the pros and cons, or generate a synthesis of 2 ideas?
• What if you could share them or just specific thoughts?
• What if you could actually build them collabratively, with many people working at the same time to build a structure of interest?

Next

I have been working on this for a while now. Today, an initial version is live and free for anyone curious to explore: https://mudg.fly.dev/.

Imagine a tool where you can follow ideas as they branch and intertwine like roots in the mental forest.

• A Dynamic Network of Knowledge: What if you could click on a concept and instantly get answers, key terms explained, or find links to thinkers and real-world examples? The vision is a kind of interactive, non-linear encyclopedia - minus the dry, academic tone.
• Debate and Synthesis: Why stop at linking ideas? What if you could challenge concepts by weighing pros and cons, or even fuse two seemingly disparate ideas into a brand-new synthesis? This quest is not about confirming what you know it’s about questioning and refining it.
• Collaborative Mapping: The dream grows even bigger: picture a digital space where multiple minds collaborate, continuously updating and refining this vast map of human thought. A collective brainstorming session, unfolded in real time - a tool for social learning and connection.