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title: First-Principle Thinking
created: 2024-11-18T09:18:12
modified: 2025-12-04T06:35:37
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> _“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” — Desmond Tutu_

> _“The person who grasps principles can successfully select their own methods. The person who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” — Harrington Emerson_

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Thinking (and reasoning) from the first principles (第一性原理) is a fancy way of saying “think like a scientist.”

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A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced any further by breaking down to the smallest possible elements.

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Optimize the function. Ignore the form.

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釐清事物的本質（觀察 → 洞察）

> 靠的是看「裡面」，而不只是「表面」。

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Fundamental Truth（底層邏輯）

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# Principles Outlive Tactics

* Principles
	* Why?
	* Agile Coaches
* Tactics
	* What? \& How?
	* Play Stealers

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Start with **Why**, then **How**, and then **What**.

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# Principles first, applications later

When you understand the principles, applications are much easier.