The First Principles theory is one that was introduced by Aristotle, 2000 years ago. It's helped individuals come up with creative innovations that truly change the world and how we live in it daily. It is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced any further, a first basis from which a thing is known.

Like a scientist, we must start with questions and not assume what we think we know. Instead, we can ask ourselves "What are we absolutely sure is true?" This form of thinking can help individuals develop unique worldviews and solve problems in ways people can't fathom. Take Elon Musk for example, things he has been able to achieve with Tesla & SpaceX most people would never think that someone would be able to achieve it. We can achieve multiple “impossible” things and discover novel, groundbreaking results.

By understanding the basic truths or elements of anything, we can uncover powerful questions that uncover ingenious gems. It's basically thinking in a clever way. Start by knowing the basic materials and build from that. By processing information from different disciplines and building a foundation of facts, we can develop a plan and improve each little piece of the plan which will naturally lead to find better substitutes.

When people envision the future, they project the current form. How many times have you heard of people asking "where are the flying cars?" We have flying cars, we just call them airplanes. Instead of focusing on the function, traveling through air, we focus on the form, which is your basic Toyota, Honda, etc. If we abandon the form and focus on the function, isn't it acceptable to see an airplane as the flying car?

As humans we often live life by analogy, meaning we compare it to something similar because we're familiar with it so we can rest easy. Rather, when we're faced with complex problems, we default to thinking like everybody else. The First Principles thinking is a powerful way to help us break out of this herd mentality and by identifying our current assumptions, breaking down into the basic truths, we can make solutions from scratch.

Many of life's innovative creations have been constructed based upon this First Principles thinking which again is boiling things down to first basic elements of things then substituting for effective solutions for one of the key parts. The best solution is not where everyone is already looking. Be wary of the ideas you inherit. Old conventions and previous forms are often accepted without question and once it's accepted, they set a boundary on creativity.

This difference is one of the key distinctions between continuous improvement and first principles thinking. Continuous improvement tends to occur within the boundary set by the original vision. By comparison, the first principles thinking requires us to abandon our allegiance to previous forms and put the function front and center.

What are you trying to accomplish? What is the functional outcome you are looking to achieve? Optimizing the function and ignoring the form is how you learn to think for oneself.