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What is first principles thinking
First principles thinking is the act of boiling a process down to the fundamental parts that you know are true and building up from there.
First principles thinking is a fancy way of saying "think like a scientist." Scientists don't assume anything. They start with questions like, What are we absolutely sure is true? What has been proven?
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Thinking for yourself
Be wary of the ideas you inherit. Old conventions and previous forms are often accepted without question and, once accepted, they set a boundary around creativity.
Continuous improvement tends to occur within the boundary set by the original vision. By comparison, first principles thinking ...
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An example of first principles thinking
Imagine you have three things:
- A motorboat with a skier behind it
- A military tank
- A bicycle
Now, let's break these items down into their constituent parts:
- Motorboat: motor, the hull of a boat, and a pair of skis.
- Tank: metal treads, steel...
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Related collections
Other curated ideas on this topic:
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 helps many great thinkers (or entrepreneurs like Elon) to break down complicated p...
First Principles Thinking
Also known as Deconstruction, it’s a way of thinking supported by Elon Musk and many scientists. It consists of breaking what you know into its components until its fundamental parts can be understood.
We have a lot of assumptions. Breaking something apart yields more information all...
Comparison vs. First Principles Thinking
Comparison Thinking (reason through analogy)
When you make decisions and judgement calls based on what you or others have experienced. An easy mode of thinking but also offers no innovation or large changes.
First Principles Thinking (new pe...
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