Practical Guide to First Principles Thinking (2024)
irst principles thinking is a powerful mental model to find hidden knowledge. Scientists and inventors reason from first principles to base their work on the truth they discover.
In this article, I will explain what is first principles thinking, how to practice it, and how to apply First principles frameworks systematically in your life.
Shifting the way you think is challenging because it has been biased by society, education, and yourself for years. However, it is possible to break conventional thinking if you practice reasoning from first principles. [Deliberate practice](https://www.maray.ai/posts/get-better-at-anything-the-beginners-guide-to-deliberate-practice) in combination with simple yet powerful frameworks can result in original and [creative thinking](https://www.maray.ai/posts/the-secrets-of-creativity).
###### I now use first principles to design bespoke problem-driven websites. Get in touch for collaboration.
## What is First Principles
A first principle is a proposition or an assumption on which true knowledge is based. In science, theories, methods, and laws are derived from first principles. Axioms and postulates are the first principles in mathematics.
Aristotle was one of the first to use First Principles in his works to find the truth:
> "In every systematic inquiry (methods) where there are first principles, or causes, or elements, knowledge and science result from acquiring knowledge of these; for we think we know something just in case we acquire knowledge of the primary causes, the primary first principles, all the way to the elements." Aristotle
The idea is to find a way to the elements (truth, essence) with the method of first principles. It should start with an idea or a problem and go back until an axiom or a first principle is found. To do so it's essential to find the right questions to ask to decompose the problem and build up from the foundation.
In other words, first principle method is to question an assumption until you find the essentials and the truth.
In Pixar, whenever the filmmakers present a derivative (made by analogy) story to John Lasseter, he often tells them to stop and do their research. That is why all the films they produce are original and creative.
> "When filmmakers, industrial designers, software designers, or people in any other creative profession merely cut up and reassemble what has come before, it gives the illusion of creativity, but it is craft without art.” Cal Newport, Creativity Inc.
Thinking by analogy is a way to mediocrity and stagnation. Innovations and progress are based on unique knowledge that is found by reasoning from first principles.
## First principles thinking vs analogy
There are many comparisons between analogous and first principles thinking. The [coach](https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/#:~:text=A%20first%20principle%20is%20a,writing%20on%20first%20principles%2C%20said%3A&text=Reasoning%20by%20first%20principles%20removes%20the%20impurity%20of%20assumptions%20and%20conventions.) and the play stealer, the [chef](https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-secret-sauce.html) and the cook, or the [architect](https://www.maray.ai/posts/the-guide-to-architects-career-path) and the draftsman. You can see the hint. The former build something unique and the latter follow instructions.
Since ancient times knowledge and wisdom were passed down from a generation to another. Things did not change much, and it was not encouraged to take risks and think differently.
In the fast-changing world, it is safer now to explore and take risks. If we want to discover something new, we have to shift the way we think and ask questions to find something insightful and secret.
> First principles thinking: is it true?
> Analogous thinking: it was done before, therefore, it is true.
A lot of products, projects, and businesses are designed by analogy. They bear an incremental improvement and change to existing ideas. It comes to mixing features and properties. The focus is on the form.
For instance, when architects design spaces, they use projects built before them as a basis for their work. There are several reasons for this. First, buildings are complex and expensive entities. To justify a decision, you need proof that a solution has worked before and it will work in the future. Second, it is the easiest thing to do. Take several successful projects, mix them and you have something "new". Third, most of the architects, and people in general, were not taught how to design from the ground up.
Companies like SpaceX are built from the ground up. Elon musk took an existing problem, deconstructed it, got rid of assumptions, and built up the idea from its foundation.
To shift your thinking from analogy to First Principles, you have to deliberately practice and integrate frameworks into your thinking.
## First Principles frameworks
Here are three frameworks that will help you to start practicing thinking from First Principles.
### 1. Socratic Questioning
1. Clarifying your thinking and explaining the origins of your ideas. Why do I think this? What exactly do I think? 2. Challenging assumptions. How do I know this is true? What if I thought the opposite? 3. Look for evidence. Why do I think this is true? What are the sources? 4. Consider alternative perspectives. What might others think? How do I know I am correct? 5. Examine the consequences and implications. What if I am wrong? What are the consequences if I am? 6. Question the original questions. Why did I think that? Was I correct? What conclusions can I draw from the reasoning process?
It helps to figure out several important things. First, find the origins of your idea. Is it based on your assumptions? Can you find data to prove its viability? Second, consider symmetrically different perspectives to understand possible consequences. Lastly, conclude and move up from there.
### 2. Elon Musk's First Principle Reasoning Framework
Elon Musk was one of the first to popularize reasoning from first principles. This approach led him to discover opportunities for his new companies SpaceX and Tesla, which made him the richest person in the world in 2021.
It was not until Elon started up SpaceX when the whole aerospace industry shifted. Before, every company took an approach of incremental change and improvement before his intervention. The existing technologies have been improved and tinkered with since the mid of the 20th century.
To gain insight, he asked the following questions.
- What are the problems? - Why is it expensive? - What can I do differently? - What do we know is true? - What are the obstacles?
Nobody assumed to reduce the cost of rocket production and launches. First principles reasoning led him to discover that production cost can be significantly reduced. He deconstructed the problem into its foundational principles and built his solution from the bottom up.
**Elon Musk's 3-step framework**
1. Identify current assumptions. 2. Break down the problem into its fundamental principles. 3. Create new solutions from the discovered truth.
This framework provides a solid structure to deconstruct a problem and test different solutions. If you have an idea, try to apply Elon's framework to gain insight and find secrets that thinking by analogy would not allow.
### 3. Five Whys Framework
Children naturally think in first principles. They ask questions until they get to the bottom of it and understand the foundations. It is essential to align the knowledge of the world with reality as closely as possible. Wrong assumptions could threaten the chances of survival in the past.
Unfortunately, most of the parents get annoyed by constant questioning. They either do not know the proper answer or think that a child can not understand the complexity of the world. Therefore, the most popular answer among parents is ["Because I said so"](https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/).
I often use 5 whys in psychology to find out the real reasons behind something obscure. For instance, when I feel [negative emotions](https://www.maray.ai/posts/manage-conflicts), I start to question myself to learn why I behave the way I do.
Every question peels a layer off until you find out an episode in the childhood where that reaction was born. It is a powerful way of thinking. Once you make it a habit, you will learn to apply it in other areas of your life.
## How to practice and reason from First Principles systematically?
It is easy to know, and it is hard to implement. If you learn to apply first principles thinking, it will become a habit that will pay off many folds in the future.
Practicing first principles thinking will allow you to shift your neural patterns. Instead of improving on existing, you can find something different. The idea can be old. It is the analysis and the creating process that makes the final product distinct from anything else.
Establishing a framework will help to eliminate the assumptions. To find the essence, you have to ask the right questions. Otherwise, the idea and the solutions will be founded on unproven information.
I use the frameworks as a way to research a problem, and to build a better understanding of the world.
- Find whether it is viable and what does it stand on. - Figure out what is the root cause of the problem. - Find an insight that I can use for an advantage. - Align my worldview with reality.
Whenever I have an idea, I write it down and later move it to the Idea table in Notion.
If it is a concept for a start-up or an app, I can take the problem and apply one of the frameworks to understand it better.
Then, I can either move forward with it or leave it for a future trial. I can return to it later and check my previous research to re-evaluate and see if something has changed. I even can set a reminder to review it once again sometime in the future.
Each area is different, and the questions might alter.
First principles thinking in design can be beneficial in several ways.
First, the questioning can help to find the ground for an idea. Second, find problems with the framework relevant to the context and base the solutions on them. Third, find unique data and move away from conventional design.
As you get more and more experienced with the questions and the workflow, it is worth defining them in a template so that you can go through them and never miss an important part.
Never start from scratch. Your brain is very resistant to preparing for something. When you are a few clicks away from the template, it is much easier to get going, not lose time, and make it into a habit.
The more you practice, the more automatic the process will become. Every assumption will become dissected into pieces and assembled into meaningful knowledge. Every bit of knowledge will help you draw a better map of the world and align it with the territory.
## Final thoughts
We are born with the ability to ask the right questions to better understand the world around us. Unfortunately, many of us lose that ability in the process of growing up. Those who keep curiosity and relentlessness in their arsenal become inventors and move the world further.
Now that you know what is first principles thinking, it is time to apply and practice. Make it a habit and shift your thinking to find your younger self to discover the world as we meant to.
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By Dr. Josh Axe Leaders Staff
Dr. Josh Axe
CEO/Founder
Dr. Josh Axe is the co-founder of Ancient Nutrition and the founder and CEO of Leaders.com. He earned his doctorate...
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Updated Oct 5, 2022
First Principles Thinking: How to Think Like the World’s Best Leaders
Back in 2002, Elon Musk had a bold and audacious goal in mind—he wanted to land a rocket on Mars. One of the main obstacles preventing the achievement of this goal was the price tag. Buying a rocket could end up costing as much as $65 million, an astronomical amount. But the high cost didn’t dissuade Musk from pursuing his dream. Instead, he began using first principles thinking to analyze the problem .
Using this type of critical thinking , Musk refused to accept that rockets had to be so expensive. So, he broke down a typical rocket into its components and materials. He looked at commodities prices to compare. From there, he was able to determine that he could build his own rocket for only two percent of the quoted price . SpaceX was created soon afterward.
Elon Musk isn’t alone in first principles thinking and decision-making. Many influential business leaders, from Jeff Bezos to Steve Jobs, have used the first principles approach to revolutionize their respective industries. In doing so, they become problem-solvers who improve people’s way of life because they think differently from others. They’re the ones who dream big and present a grand vision for others to follow. The restrictions and limitations of the past are only challenges to overcome.
The issue with many people is that they shy away from this type of thinking. Some people don’t want to think in such revolutionary terms and adhere to social conformity . Others experience an identity crisis where they have trouble defining who they are and what they were put on this planet to do. Unfortunately, media programming only reinforces these problems, putting first principles thinking out of reach.
This article will help you overcome these challenges and teach you how to embrace the first principles philosophy. Doing so will help you think like some of the most influential people in the world today.
What Is First Principles Thinking?
How to practice first principles thinking, first principles thinking examples, how to make first principles thinking a daily habit.
First principles is kind of a physics way of looking at the world. You boil things down to the most fundamental truths and say, ‘What are we sure is true?’ . . . and then reason up from there. Elon Musk
The idea behind first principles thinking is to break down something into its most basic elements to get at a core truth of what is known. In essence, it’s a process where you deconstruct something, and then build it up again just the way you want it. It removes assumptions and determines what can be proven with certainty. When someone engages in reasoning from first principles, what they are really analyzing is the fundamental principles that can serve as a foundation for future growth.
1. Have a Basic Understanding of What You’re Questioning
Anyone can ask questions, and indeed, there’s nothing wrong with asking questions about things you don’t know about. However, when following first principles thinking, you’ll want to have a basic knowledge of what it is you’re asking about. That way, you know the right questions to ask that will help you break down things to their core truths.
As Tim Urban describes , this is the difference between a chef and a cook. A cook can follow a recipe, but without it, they’re lost. On the contrary, a chef is a true artist. They’re the ones who create recipes and have a fundamental understanding of how foods interact with each other. Chefs still excel even when no recipe is close by because they don’t reason by analogy, meaning they aren’t making choices based on what others have done.
Elon Musk might not be a rocket scientist, but he does have an understanding of construction, technology, and materials. That’s what allowed him to ask the right questions and avoid reasoning by analogy. This type of thinking requires the knowledge to understand the constraints and where you can improve as you look to solve complex problems. It’s also how you can come up with an innovation strategy .
2. Remove All Assumptions
With a basic knowledge of the topic, you can then cast aside common assumptions to embrace more innovative thinking. This isn’t always easy to do. All too often we think our assumptions are simply an observation of a profound truth.
Returning to the rocket example, it would be easy to assume that building a rocket is incredibly expensive. What Elon Musk did was eliminate that assumption by removing biases. The same holds true for all who want to follow first principles thinking. Take out any bias you have. Remove your opinions. Don’t try to force a result. This will lead to the best ideas and outcomes, and you can proceed with other strategies such as differentiation strategy .
One way to do this is by following Socratic questioning. Here’s a general outline of how to do this.
- Determine why you have an assumption. Where does it come from?
- Don’t accept the assumption. Challenge it from every angle.
- Find evidence to back up your assumption, if it exists.
- Research other perspectives to see what other people might think.
- Consider what the consequences would be if your assumption is wrong.
- Return to the original question and determine if you are correct or if you need to rethink things.
Going through these steps will help you rid your mind of assumptions and open you up to new possibilities.
3. Get to the Basic Principle
After removing assumptions, you can proceed to break things down into the basic principle. This is where the term “first principles thinking” comes from. A first principle is the basic element of something. Uncovering these elements requires careful questioning, more specifically asking “why.”
You can do this by following the 5 Whys Technique pioneered by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. The idea is to always ask “why” when facing complex problems. Here is how this process breaks down:
- First, ask those who know why the problem is happening and record the answers.
- For each answer, ask “why” four more times, drilling down into the real reason behind the problem.
- Stop when you have found the root cause or causes.
- Take action to solve the problem.
The 5 Whys isn’t about assigning blame but rather about finding answers. Those who follow this line of thinking constantly ask why something is the way it is, breaking things down until they get to the truth of the matter.
4. Be Detailed With Your Thinking
First principle thinkers work in details. Look at someone like Jordan Peterson . He is a highly detailed thinker who carefully chooses his words. Not only that, he is articulate and specific when describing his thoughts and ideas. That level of detail means people will listen and try the solutions he proposes.
Also, think of what makes a good book. For me, Lord of the Rings represents writing of the most creative and inspirational form. When you look at not just the book but individual pages, paragraphs, and sentences, you can feel the details come to life. All of those details add up to great characters, a great storyline, and ultimately a masterpiece.
The same holds true for first principles thinking. Focus on individual parts. Get down into the smallest details. Expand your understanding of those details. As you engage in more detailed thinking, you’ll be able to express core truths and build upon them in unique ways.
5. Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind
When focusing on the details, you must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Keep your vision in mind at all times so you can understand the outcomes of first principles thinking. Note what the side effects could be throughout the decision-making process so you can be prepared.
When keeping the bigger vision in mind, think of how successful Marvel has been with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While you can point to plenty of factors for the continuing success of the franchise, one of the main reasons is how everything in that universe is connected. Every movie, television show, and even short film plays into the bigger picture. Even so, the individual components that make up the whole are done well , too.
You must adopt the same “bigger picture” mentality. Understand what the repercussions of certain actions will be, and focus on the long-term rather than the short-term . Doing so will set you up for continued success well into the future.
Jeff Bezos Warns About Proxies
As CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has long warned about people using proxies instead of first principles thinking. As he explains, many people tend to follow processes, surveys, mental models, and more without thinking about it. In his view, this is a mindless way to conduct business since it gives people excuses for why things go wrong instead of allowing them to look for solutions.
Bezos advises against using proxies and instead discovering fundamental truths yourself . As he says, “Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer. They spend tremendous energy developing that intuition. They study and understand many anecdotes rather than only the averages you’ll find on surveys.”
Uber Launches a New Way to Travel
In December 2008, Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick couldn’t find a ride while visiting Paris. They determined that there had to be a better way than simply relying on a cab service. Uber launched not long after that.
As people now know, Uber combined smartphone app technology with a ride service to create a whole new field. The founders had boiled down the basics of transportation and discovered what travelers really wanted. They eliminated the assumption that one had to use a cab and instead included everyday drivers who wanted to earn a little bit of extra money. The results speak for themselves.
Different Packaging Solves a Big Problem
A Dutch bicycle manufacturer named Van Moof had a tough problem on their hands—shippers were damaging their products, largely due to the thinking that bike parts could handle the punishment. So what could they do about it? Changing their products was out of the question, and talking with shipping companies could only go so far.
Their solution was a result of first principles thinking. If the above possibilities wouldn’t get the results they wanted, what about changing what was on the package ? The solution was rather ingenious. All they had to do was show a television on the box. That alone was enough to convince handlers to be more careful with the package. Thanks to their leaders’ innovative thinking and decision-making, damages dropped by an impressive 80 percent.
First principles thinking isn’t always something that comes naturally. You need to put forth an effort to make it a daily habit. You can do this by scheduling time in your day dedicated simply to thinking. Elon Musk follows this strategy by scheduling a block of time just for thinking. It’s this line of thought that likely led to the creation of SpaceX and the Tesla Gigafactory .
While it may sound simple, taking time out of your day to think can really clear your mind and get you excited for the future. As you follow the steps listed above, you’ll develop a stronger mindset. As you do, you may find thinking to be one of the most exciting parts of your day.
To learn more about Elon Musk and his leadership style, check out the following articles.
4 Ways to Apply Elon Musk’s Leadership Style
A Future Worth Getting Excited About | Elon Musk
How to Establish Effective Business Goals
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