First principle

The Nobel laureate Physicist and faculty member at Cal Tech late Richard Feynman, said “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool”.

It is unfortunate that very few people start analyzing issues from first principle. I had some one ask me the question “What is first principle?” I started to think of the most intuitive and simple explanation. Where do I start?

When I bought my first car, I was anxious and excited. I started by looking at all the modes to transport that were available to me. Was a car the most viable option based on my criteria? Then confirmed the fact that I could afford one as a student? The kind I really desired? Define the market, other students, university staff, dealers, etc. What kinds of cars were on the market? Of the ones on the market which ones were within my budget? And the process went on…

Unlike the typical process of working backward when managing a project (although the objective was the car buying decision) and making assumptions at each step, this was forward oriented with a fundamental base and avoiding any unnecessary assumptions. The starting point was what modes of transport were available? even before starting to look for a car. Capacity and capability force us to make assumptions.

Without sounding like the Visine Commercial… ‘first principle’ is clarity of vision!