First Principles: Your Framework for Clarity

The Big Idea

When faced with complex challenges, the most productive people I know return to first principles - fundamental truths they can build from.

Back to Basics

When was the last time you fully renovated the way you solve problems, from the ground up?

I've noticed something fascinating about highly productive people: when faced with complex and new problems, they don't add more complexity - they subtract it. They return to fundamental truths and build up from there.

This approach, known as first principles thinking, isn't just for philosophers or engineers. It's a useful tactic for anyone facing a new problem, and can be particularly helpful for founders who are trying to navigate a new market.

What are First Principles?

First principles are the fundamental truths that can't be broken down further. They're the building blocks we use to understand everything else. For example:

Time is irreversible, and moves from past to the present
Do no harm, a core principle of medicine to minimize risk and negative outcomes
Occam's Razor, the principle that suggests the simplest explanation is often the best
Least Effort, your end users will always try to find the path of least resistance

Why This Matters for Product Development

This is a powerful tool for product development. If you're evaluating a new market or product idea, you can use first principles to understand the core principles that have driven the current state of the market, and identify gaps that you can fill.

Let's look at how first principles thinking revolutionized urban transportation. Instead of trying to improve taxis, entrepreneurs asked: "What is the fundamental purpose of urban transportation?"

The core principles they identified were:

People need to get from point A to point B reliably
Both drivers and passengers want to maximize their time and money
Trust and safety are essential for both parties
Supply should match demand efficiently

Traditional taxis failed to optimize for these principles:

Supply/demand mismatch: empty taxis circled busy areas while other neighborhoods had none
Pricing opacity: meters created uncertainty and anxiety for passengers
Trust gap: anonymous interactions left both drivers and passengers vulnerable
Artificial scarcity: medallion systems limited supply without improving service

Ride sharing services built solutions directly from these principles:

Dynamic matching: GPS and algorithms connect nearby drivers to passengers
Transparent pricing: upfront fares let everyone make informed decisions
Two-way accountability: ratings and digital records create trust
Market-driven supply: flexible driver enrollment helps match real demand

This is first principles in action: instead of accepting "this is how taxis work," rideshare services stripped away assumptions and rebuilt from the core principles of the problem space.

Roll Your Own: the first principles framework

This sort of process can be applied to just about anything, from product development to team dynamics to your basic beliefs. Here's a simple framework to get you started:

Define the Problem - Write down what's wrong or what you want to improve. Be specific.
Identify Core Principles - Think about the fundamental truths or rules related to the problem. (Examples: "Keep it simple," "Focus on what users need," "Test before scaling.")
Break the Problem into Pieces - Divide the problem into smaller parts. Work on one part at a time.
Brainstorm Solutions for Each Piece - For each part, think of ways to solve it while sticking to your core principles.
Choose the Simplest, Most Aligned Solution - Pick the solution that's easiest to implement and most consistent with your principles. Pick the solution that's easiest to implement and most consistent with your principles.
Test the Solution - Try it out! Check if it works as intended and solves the problem.
Refine - Make adjustments if needed. Stay true to the principles as you tweak things.

Applied Principles Thinking

Mathematicians and physicists are skilled at applying first principles thinking to complex problems. They start with fundamental truths, and build up from there. The best educators among them are able to explain these truths in a way that's easy to understand and apply.

Not sure what I mean? You might dig these examples:

Equally Sharing a Cake Between Thee People from numberphile

Supervised Learning: Crash Course AI from Crash Course

More on building from first principles

If you're interested in how these principles can be applied to team dynamics, check out my thoughts on building happier teams and measuring what matters.

I've also written about how building in public and setting meaningful goals can help you stay accountable to your principles.

Your Turn

What are your first principles? What fundamental truths guide your work? Who are your favorite first principles thinkers? Hit reply and let me know - I read every response, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Be excellent to each other,

Mike