First Principles Thinking: The Checklist [draft]

This checklist is a (potentially) useful in the process of first principles thinking. Use it to deconstruct complex problems, challenge hidden assumptions, and reconstruct solutions from a foundation of truth.

Phase 1: Deconstruction & Clarification (Breaking It Down)

Ask these questions to dismantle the problem and your current beliefs about it.

☐ 1. Clearly Define the Problem:

• What is the exact problem I am trying to solve?
• Am I solving the right problem, or just a symptom of it?
• Action: Write down the problem in a single, clear sentence.

☐ 2. Challenge Every Assumption:

• What do I believe to be true about this problem?
• How do I know this is true? Is it a verifiable fact or an inherited opinion?
• What if the opposite were true?
• Action: List all assumptions you hold about the problem. For each one, write down the source or evidence.

☐ 3. Drill Down to the Root Cause (The Five Whys):

• Start with the problem and ask "Why?" repeatedly.
• Why is this happening? (Answer)
• Why is that happening? (Answer)
• Why is that happening? (...)
• Continue until you can no longer answer. You have likely found a foundational element.

☐ 4. Identify the Components (The "What is it made of?" Test):

• What are the fundamental components or constituent parts of this system/idea/product?
• If this were a physical object, what raw materials would it be made from?
• If this is a process, what are the essential, non-negotiable steps?
• Action: List the most basic, irreducible elements.

Phase 2: Identification of First Principles (Finding Bedrock)

Use the deconstructed components to identify the foundational truths you can build upon.

☐ 5. Separate Facts from Analogies:

• Is this conclusion based on a fundamental law (e.g., of physics, mathematics, human nature) or on what has been done before?
• Am I building a better version of an existing thing (analogy), or am I re-imagining its function from its core parts (first principles)?
• Litmus Test: Could a 10-year-old understand this truth without relying on jargon or complex analogies?

☐ 6. Quantify the Foundational Costs/Units:

• What are the irreducible costs in terms of time, money, or energy?
• Can I find objective, public data for these costs (e.g., commodity market prices, physical constants, established statistics)?
• Example (Elon Musk): What is the cost of aluminum, copper, and carbon fiber on the open market? (Not the cost of a finished rocket).

☐ 7. State the First Principle(s):

• Based on the above, what are the one or two most fundamental, undeniable truths about this situation?
• These truths should be self-evident and not deducible from any other assumption in this context.
• Action: Write down your identified first principles as simple statements of fact. (e.g., "The raw material cost of a battery is X," "Humans require Y to survive," "Data transfer is limited by Z").

Phase 3: Reconstruction (Building a New Solution)

With the foundational truths identified, build your solution from the ground up.

☐ 8. Brainstorm from Zero:

• Forgetting everything about the old way of doing things, what is the most direct or efficient way to solve the problem using only these first principles?
• How can I assemble these fundamental components in a new, more effective way?
• What becomes possible from this new perspective that wasn't possible before?

☐ 9. Design a Novel Solution:

• What would a solution look like if it were designed only from these principles?
• How can I test this new solution on a small scale?
• Action: Sketch out a new process or design based on your reconstruction.

Final Check: The Meta-Principle

☐ 10. You Are the Easiest Person to Fool:

• Have I been radically intellectually honest with myself?
• Where might I be wrong? What are the weakest points in my new reasoning?
• How can I try to disprove my own conclusion?
• Action: Actively seek disconfirming evidence for your new solution before committing to it.

Collaboration welcome; feel free to propose edits to the principles; I made this cause I was searching for a sort of grounding for my own brain and I did not find anything satisfying. This is a work in progress.