"First principles thinking" consists of decomposing things down to the fundamental axioms in the given arena, before reasoning up by asking which ones are relevant to the question at hand, then cross referencing conclusions based on chosen axioms and making sure conclusions do not violate any fundamental laws.
A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced any further. Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle defined a first principle as “the first basis from which a thing is known.” First principles thinking is a fancy way of saying “think like a scientist.” Scientists don't assume anything.
The power of first principles thinking isn't confined to my journey; it's a universally adaptable approach that can revolutionize any business strategy. For example, Musk applied first principles to rethink battery costs for Tesla, not accepting the established pricing but breaking down costs to the component level.
First Principles Thinking is a mental framework that encourages us to deconstruct problems and ideas into their most fundamental components. In other words, it is a methodical approach that involves stripping away assumptions and examining the foundational truths at the heart of a concept.
For example, a chef uses first principles thinking to transform raw ingredients (first principles) into a totally new dish. Someone who doesn't know how to cook will likely follow the instructions of a recipe, never deviating from the widely accepted instructions.
All types of people-first leadership share common principles. People-first leaders genuinely care about everyone at the company as human beings and not just employees. This doesn't mean that everyone has to be best friends, but it does mean that leaders have compassion for and interest in the well-being of workers.
For breakthroughs, he advocates the first principles approach. In the most basic sense, Musk has described the approach as such: “Boil things down to the most fundamental truths and say, 'OK, what are we sure is true, or as sure as possible is true? ' And then reason up from there.”
In short, first-principles thinking is actively questioning every assumption known about a given problem or scenario, and then create new knowledge and solutions from scratch. According to Aristotle, a first-principle is “the first basis from which a thing is known”.
Exemplary principles include First, do no harm, the Golden Rule and the Doctrine of the Mean.
In its simplest form, first principles thinking takes a problem and breaks it into its parts. Once you have identified the unique pieces of the puzzle, you can then put them back together to make sense. We can use this approach in any situation, from business to personal relationships.
The concept of First Principles encourages stripping a problem down to its most elemental truths. It's a methodology that avoids the trap of relying on conventional wisdom or historical precedents. Instead, it asks us to start from the ground up, building our understanding from the most basic, irrefutable facts.
Meaning: rather than taking what already exists as the basis of our thinking, we break the problem down to its most fundamental truths and examine each piece. Even though a problem has already been solved, we start from the problem's most basic elements to re-examine whether a better solution might be possible.
Sometimes called “reasoning from first principles,” the idea is to break 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.
“First principles” models are often engineering design models, reflecting physical laws such as mass balance, energy balance, heat transfer relations, and so on.
5 Whys is top down; starting with the observed result and trying to discover the underlying cause. On the other hand, the First Principles approach builds from basic truths to discover new solutions.
For example, when thinking about a food item such as Pizza, the first principles thinking will result in knowing about how Pizza came into existence in terms of what all went into creating Pizza such as raw materials, cooking method, expertise, tools, etc.
The Principle of First runs all throughout the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation. It's like God wove it into the fabric of the universe, and here's the Big Idea: When GOD is FIRST in your LIFE, everything else comes into ORDER. It's blessed. If God is not first in your life, nothing comes into order.
The Principle of Focus
Habit 3: Put First Things First is about protecting time for what's most important to us. Habit 1 focuses our effort on what we can influence. Habit 2 aims us in the right direction. Habit 3 is the day in, day out, moment-by-moment work that takes us to that vision.
"First principles thinking" (or "reasoning from first principles") is a problem-solving technique that requires you to break down a complex problem into its most basic, foundational elements. The idea: to ground yourself in the foundational truths and build up from there.
First-principles estimating is a powerful way of building up a project estimate from individual component costs to create an accurate final budget. It's ideal for bespoke projects where uncertainty is certain. It's extremely accurate and highly adaptable to project changes, plus it factors for risk and opportunity.
Perhaps the style most often associated with people-centric leadership is servant leadership. Servant leadership is paradoxical because leaders view themselves as serving those they lead. They see their jobs as empowering their teams to succeed.
The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are “first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Article of Faith 4).