it’s working from first principles.

“These things can’t be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things.  When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.”

- Miyamoto Musashi

Aristotle famously defined first principles as “the first basis from which a thing is known.” The concept crosses domains; it is not limited to philosophy, science, or mathematics, though that is where they are most often discussed. These are fundamental and unchanging truths independent from current experiences. The rules of the game.

Reward requires risk.

Compounding is powerful.

Suffering produces endurance.

Reality and perception are not equal.

Blessings and burdens often overlap.

Working from first principles requires a complete rejection of doing something because everyone else has and doing something because it has always been done that way. It isn’t rebellion against norms, but it ensures that any belief or behavior is rooted in something immutable and unerring. All games have rules. Before playing, know the rules of the game.

A priori truths are being rejected in favor of contrasting a posteriori reasoning. Beware. Fight the good fight for truth. Work from first principles. Stay the course.