First Thinking: A cheat code to mass innovation.
How I think.
First Principles?
So, here’s the breakdown on this whole first principles thinking thing. Picture this: you’re taking every concept, breaking it down until you hit rock bottom — the most basic assumption. Then, you start building it up from scratch.
This whole idea has its roots in Ancient Greece, with philosophers like Aristotle and Rene Descartes pioneering it. Aristotle kicked things off with his definition.
The first definition which was the first basis from which a thing is known. — Aristotle
And then there’s Rene Descartes, right? This guy took it to the next level. He doubted everything until he was left with the ones you just can’t argue with — the real-deal truths. Think about it like this: he’s sitting there, removing everything he can’t be 100% sure of, until he’s left with “I think, therefore I am.” That’s his rock-solid base. From there, he starts rebuilding his world, brick by brick, thought by thought.
Maybe not the best use of his time, but hey, it works, right?
So yeah, that’s the basics of first principles thinking. Strip everything down to the basics, and then start the real work from there. Cool, right?
How’s it helpful?
So what this first principles thingamajig(this is an actual word. I was shocked too.) does is pretty slick. It’s like taking a giant eraser to all the extra stuff — the assumptions, the theories from everyone else — until you’re down to the bare bones. Then, it’s just you, building your way up, piece by piece, and everything just clicks. Yeah, you might skip over some complex theories that took years to cook up, but you end up with something totally original. It’s like cooking your own recipe from scratch instead of using a packaged mix.
And come on, if you want to bring something new into the world, something fresh and uncharted, diving into first principles thinking is like all you need. You can’t go wrong with that.
How to use it?
Alright, now the practical bit. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or have a PhD to get this first principles thing. It’s pretty simple. Next time you’re staring down a problem, just hit it up with a few questions. Questions like:
- How do we get to X?
- What’s stopping us from getting to X?
- Why do we need to solve Y in order to get to X?
Now, if Y turns out to be important, we give it the treatment of the first principles, breaking it down too. But if it’s not? We just toss it aside. We keep doing this, peeling back the layers, until we’re left with the core stuff, the real deal that we need to nail X. After that, it’s all about cooking up a plan to tackle these core elements and then working our way back up to X.
Pretty simple, no?
Example
In a less abstract manner, it would go like this.
I want to graduate with First class. First question: why do I even want it? Well, it’s big flex, isn’t it? Cool, so what do I need to make that happen? Study, obviously. But hold up, what’s keeping me from hitting the books? I’m gaming too much. Why’s that? Games are just more fun. Fair enough, but how can I make studying as fun as gaming? Well, I could team up with friends for study sessions or turn it into a challenge.
Okay, cool. But is gaming the only thing in my way? Nah, my study environment is also a mess. I study in my room where my gaming console and my bed are. So, what’s the fix? Maybe I could move my study sessions to the library or wake up at dawn when everything’s calm and peaceful.
Cool, is that all? No, I don’t have a road map, so my study sessions are unstructured. Cool, how do I get one? I can get the course outlines and plan accordingly. Aight, that sounds good. How will you get them? I could reach out to the lecturers or the teaching assistants and get it. Alright. Sounds good. We’ve got a plan now.
And that’s it! See how we nailed it? Kind of feels like a therapy session, doesn’t it? You’re the one asking and answering all the tough questions.
But for this to actually work, you’ve got to be brutally honest with yourself. If not, you’re wasting your time. And being honest, that’s tough. It means admitting that you’re the captain and that all the storms are your own doing. That’s not easy to take in.
But barring those two, first principles thinking is a walk in the park. Just keep it honest, and you are good to go.
Conclusion
Now you know about first principles thinking and why I use it all the time. Go out there and cook with it. You won’t be alone. Elon Musk uses it all the time, Jeff Bezos, Christian Abrokwa, and I’m pretty sure Zuck uses it too.
I don’t think one can manifest innovation in the world without the application of first principles… Yeah, so that brings an end to today's article. Hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it!
