The Ultimate Guide to First-Principles Thinking

v2.0, Last updated 31st October, 2020

Who is this guide for?

If you are are a smart student or a savvy professional who is interested in truth above everything else, this guide is for you. If you want to understand science, startups, companies, wealth, politics, human affairs, and more, you're exactly in the right place.

Let's get started, shall we?

Why is first-principles thinking important?

Actually, let's hear it from Elon himself.

Memes aside, this is Elon's answer

“I think it’s important to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. The normal way we conduct our lives is we reason by analogy." - Elon Musk

What is a first principle?

A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced from any other assumption. In Mathematics, these are called axioms.

First principles are the Lego building blocks for thinking. These Lego blocks, once carefully assembled with forethought, are reusable. With the right set of first-principles, you can start mixing them in ways you couldn't before allowing you to think better and faster.

Choosing the right set of Lego blocks for your thinking is the key, and it's harder than it may seem. There is so much knowledge out there – how are you supposed to decide whether something goes into a "first-principles thinking tool-chest".

That is where this guide will help you. We will walk you through the most fundamental of principles from an eclectic mix of Math, Econ, Game Theory, Evolution, Signaling theory, and mental-models. We strongly believe that this guide can be given to a smart high-school kid and they'll come out the other end equipped with ways of looking at the world that they never could before.

Ultimately, that's the goal – to give you a powerful new lens for looking at the world – one that is grounded in rigorous truth rather than ideological presuppositions and feelings.

Which fields are worthy of inclusion in this guide?

We'll let Silicon Valley's superstar founder-investor-philosopher Naval Ravikant answer that:

Before you dive into this guide, two important things to note:

1. If you are expecting a quick blogpost that will give you the secret to first-principles thinking, this is not it. There is no such thing. Instead, this guide will take time, dedication, and effort. We have curated what we think is the "minimum spanning tree" of topics to supercharge your thinking. A lot of it may be new to you, and you may grasp some ideas faster than others. But, stick with it. It will be worth it. And reach out to use if you are stuck or have any questions.

2. This is an evolving document, and we've released the v2.0 – we need your help in making it better. Please DM/email us with your suggestions.

So, without further ado:

The First-Principles Thinking Stack 👇

Begin here to understand the basics first.

🎁 Bonus: Direct recommendations from some great thinkers 👇

Dive further into an area of interest below after completing the 👉Start Here section!

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