First Principles are just another way for entrepreneurs to solve problems. First principles make it so that you can find out the fundamental principles of your problem. How it works is that you first find out what the roots of your problem are. These are what are essentially making you have that problem. Once you find these roots, you should build a solution by solving the root problems you found. However, how do you find out about what your problems’ root causes are?
One method that you can use to find your first principles are the Socratic questions. These are questions that will help you by making you think harder. These questions consist of:
- Clarifying concepts: Make sure you know everything about what is going on. “What does this mean?”
- Probing assumptions: Think about what could happen if you changed something. “If I did _, then what would happen as a result?”
- Probing Reasoning/Evidence: Figure out what reasoning and evidence will support you. “Why is this happening?”
- Perspectives: Think about different ways that you could solve the problem. “What if I did _ instead?”
- Consequences: Figure out what would happen depending on what action you take. “What would be the consequences if I did _?”
- Questions the earliest question: Reflect on the question you asked at the beginning. “Why did I ask this question in the first place?”
Another technique you can use in order to find out about the basic principles of your problem is to use the five whys. The five whys are questions that you create for yourself that start with “Why”. Repeatedly asking these questions can eventually lead to you finding the roots of your problem.
Here is a simple example of first principles:
Source: First Principles (Medium.com)
In the example, the parts of a molecule are broken down to the very root and smallest parts.
Overall, first principles are just one of the many ways that entrepreneurs like you use in order to solve problems. I thank you for reading, and I hope you check out some of my other posts!