# First Principles Thinking (reasoning from first principles) #mentalmodel ## Source - [First Principles Thinking](https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/) ## Keywords (topics and howto) - [[topic - mental models]] - [[how to make better decisions]] - [[how to avoid common biases (brain shortcuts)]] ## Relevant notes - [[zt - never assume always test]] First Principles Thinking is a way to review all the assumptions and test them against the current reality - [[zt - socratic questions]] are a way to get to first principles - good example https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/ search for Socratic Questioning - [[zt - the five why]] as a way to eliminate four (or more) layers of assumptions ## Notes - The idea is to break down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassemble them from the ground up. (https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/) - Reasoning by first principles removes the impurity of assumptions and conventions. What remains is the essentials. (https://fs.blog/2018/04/first-principles/)