Thinking through first principles - Executable Way
Mindset: questioning assumptions and stripping problems to their fundamentals.
What it really is?
- break down a problem into fundamental truths (to facts that are undeniably true, independent of assumptions or "common wisdom").
- rebuild your solutions from those truths.
Actions to improve:
- Ask Why and How
- Challenge "this is how it is done", "everybody knows" statements.
- Learn across disciplines.
- After solving something, review: Did I start from fundamentals or just copy an existing pattern.
- Rewrite the problem from scratch ignoring precedent (relying on how something has been done before or on established examples instead of questioning it from scratch).
Books that can help:
“The Beginning of Infinity” – David Deutsch → Deep dive into how knowledge is created from base principles.
“Principles” – Ray Dalio → Practical decision-making framework from fundamental truths.
“Zero to One” – Peter Thiel → How to create something entirely new, not just improve existing models.
“Poor Charlie’s Almanack” – Charlie Munger → Mental models and inversion thinking.
“Seeking Wisdom” – Peter Bevelin → How to think clearly across domains.
“Thinking in Systems” – Donella Meadows → Understand complex systems from first principles.
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” – Richard Feynman → Playful but rigorous approach to curiosity and breaking concepts down. (Ps: using audio versions or learning summaries could help to grasp these knowledge faster, execution is more imp.)