Headings Are Spoilers

An unfortunate thing about headings is that they are spoilers. I like the idea of a writing style where headings come at the end of sections rather than at the start. Or even a “starting heading” which is a motivating question and an “ending heading” which is the key insight discovered …

Analogous to a “reverse mathematics” style of writing where motivation precedes proofs/theory precede theorems.

So I’m learning & writing on thermodynamics right now, and often there is a distinction between the “motivating questions”/“sources of confusion” and the actually important lessons you get from exploring them.

E.g. a motivating question is “… and yet it scalds (even if you know the state of every particle in a cup of water)” and the takeaway from it is “your finger also has beliefs” or “thermodynamics is about reference/semantics”.

The latter might be a more typical section heading as it is correct for systematizing the topic, but it is a spoiler. Whereas the former is better for putting the reader in the right frame/getting them to think about the right questions to initiate their thinking.