deepstash
Beta
Deepstash brings you key ideas from the most inspiring articles like this one:
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
First Principles: How to think like Tesla CEO Elon Musk [Video]
![First Principles: How to think like Tesla CEO Elon Musk [Video]](https://d3t70bohx4vuj7.cloudfront.net/vXOMHS9QsE9UFGggHmfozbl-U-YZMs-QMojTDx2SBHE/resize:fill:500:0/gravity:sm/aHR0cDovL2Nkbi5zaG9waWZ5LmNvbS9zL2ZpbGVzLzEvMDE5Ni81MTcwL2ZpbGVzL2Vsb24tbXVzay10aGlua2luZ19sYXJnZV9ncmFuZGUucG5nP3Y9MTQ4MDI0ODQ2Mg)
2
Key Ideas
Save all ideas
"I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. So I said, OK, let’s look at the first principles. What is a rocket made of? Aerospace-grade aluminum alloys, plus some titanium, copper, and carbon fiber. And then I asked, what is the value of those materials on the commodity market? It turned out that the materials cost of a rocket was around 2 percent of the typical price—which is a crazy ratio for a large mechanical product."
Elon Musk
135 SAVES
274 READS
The Two Types of Thinking
Comparison thinking: comes up with solutions based on pre-existing ideas. It is the way we normally think but it also limits the solutions to possible permutations of what already exists.
First principles thinking: starts free of preconceptions by studying the fundamentals of something and then working your way to a new thing. This helps you understand complex problems.
191 SAVES
329 READS
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
4
Key Ideas
"Well, I do think there’s a good framework for thinking. It is physics. You know, the sort of first principles ..."
Elon Musk
First principle vs. analog thinking
- First principles thinking: actively questioning every assumption you think you know about a given problem or scenario and then creating new knowledge and solutions from scratch.
- Reasoning by analogy: building knowledge and solving problems based on prior assumptions, beliefs and widely held ‘best practices’ approved by majority of people.
Elon Musk's 3 steps Principle Thinking
- Identify and define your current assumptions;
- Breakdown the problem into its fundamental principles;
- Create new solutions from scratch.
2
Key Ideas
First Principle
Is a basic, foundational, self-evident proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption.
Elon Musk
"… it's important to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. The normal way we conduct our lives is we reason by analogy. We are doing this because it's like something else that was done, or it is like what other people are doing. But with first principles, you boil things down to the most fundamental truths and then reason up from there."
9
Key Ideas
First Principles Thinking
Is the act of deconstructing something to the fundamental parts that you know are true and building up from there.
Also called reasoning from first principles, it effectively he...
Elon Musk
“Physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. So I said, okay, let’s look at the first principles. What is a rocket made of? Aerospace-grade aluminum alloys, plus some titanium, copper, and carbon fiber. Then I asked, what is the value of those materials on the commodity market? It turned out that the materials cost of a rocket was around two percent of the typical price.”
One Method, Different Solutions
Different solutions present themselves at different layers of abstraction. Depending on how deep and thorough is your breakdown of the situation, putting them all back together may yield different solutions.