Pedro Arantes
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First Principles Thinking

The main idea of first principles thinking is to break down problems or situations into basic and irreducible elements.
#first-principles-thinking
#mental-models
Zettelkasten, August 6th, 2022.
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Notes

  • The main idea of first principles thinking is to break down problems or situations into basic and irreducible elements.

  • It's also called "reasoning from first principles."

  • Reasoning by first principles removes the impurities, dogmas, and conventions of established thinking.

  • When you know the first principles, you can avoid the problems of relying on someone else's tactics without understanding the fundamentals behind them. Furthermore, you can change or create your tactics.

  • When you understand the principles at work, you can decide if the existing tactics make sense or not.

References

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