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A first principle
...is a foundational proposition or assumption that stands alone. We cannot deduce first principles from any other proposition or assumption.
Reasoning by first principles removes the impurity of assumptions and conventions. What remains is the essentials.
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If we never learn to take something apart, test the assumptions, and reconstruct it, we end up trapped in what other people tell us.
We remain trapped in the way things have always been done. When the environment changes, we just continue as if things were the same.
Breaking down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassemble them from the ground up.
It’s one of the best ways to learn to think for yourself, unlock your creative potential, and move from linear to non-linear results.
This approach was used by the philosopher Ar...
- Clarifying your thinking and explaining the origins of your ideas (Why do I think this?);
- Challenging assumptions (How do I know this is true?)
- Looking for evidence (How can I back this up? )
- Considering alternative perspectives (What might...
Analogies are beneficial; they make complex problems easier to communicate and increase understanding. Using them, however, limits our beliefs about what’s possible and allows people to argue without ever exposing our (faulty) thinking.
It’s only when we step back, ask ourselves what...
- Doing something for the first time.
- Dealing with complexity.
- Trying to understand a situation that you’re having problems with.
In all of these areas, your thinking gets better when you stop making assumptions and you stop letting others fram...
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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 to break down complicated problems and generate original solutions while tea...
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Moving away from analogy = Removing iterative steps based on other or older experiences and biases and prejudices
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"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
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