First principles thinking
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First principles thinking (also called reasoning from first principles) involves breaking a problem down to its most fundamental, undeniable truths — the basic building blocks that are provably true — and then reasoning up from there to create new solutions. Instead of reasoning by analogy ("this is like that, so do what was done before"), you question assumptions and rebuild from scratch.
First order thinking was popularized by Elon Musk.
See also
External links
- What is First Principles Thinking?
- First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself by James Clear
Video:
- First principles thinking - video playlist, Video playlist