If you are are a smart student or a savvy professional who is interested in truth above everything else, this guide is for you. If you want to understand science, startups, companies, wealth, politics, human affairs, and more, you're exactly in the right place.
A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced from any other assumption. In Mathematics, these are called axioms.
First principles are the Lego building blocks for thinking. These Lego blocks, once carefully assembled with forethought, are reusable. With the right set of first-principles, you can start mixing them in ways you couldn't before allowing you to think better and faster.
Choosing the right set of Lego blocks for your thinking is the key, and it's harder than it may seem. There is so much knowledge out there – how are you supposed to decide whether something goes into a "first-principles thinking tool-chest".
That is where this guide will help you. We will walk you through the most fundamental of principles from an eclectic mix of Math, Econ, Game Theory, Evolution, Signaling theory, and mental-models. We strongly believe that this guide can be given to a smart high-school kid and they'll come out the other end equipped with ways of looking at the world that they never could before.
Ultimately, that's the goal – to give you a powerful new lens for looking at the world – one that is grounded in rigorous truth rather than ideological presuppositions and feelings.
Ayush Sharma – MIT '20, '19 | Core ML at Yelp | Likes to spend free time thinking about technology and psychology |
Rahul Garg – 21, Entrepreneur, Building the future of education and an incubator of high impact moonshots from India