first-principles is a human-made reasoning method that decomposes complex problems into their most basic, foundational truths — propositions accepted as self-evident or empirically verified — and reconstructs solutions from those truths upward. It carves the construct by its two-phase structure (decomposition to axioms, reconstruction from axioms), its reliance on first-truth selection criteria, and its persistence through teaching, scientific practice, and problem-solving documentation. [formal: principia prima | substrate: mind | horizon: generations | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
first-principles
first-principles is a human-made reasoning method that decomposes complex problems into their most basic, foundational truths — propositions accepted as self-evident or empirically verified — and reconstructs solutions from those truths up…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made reasoning method that decomposes complex problems into their most basic, foundational truths — propositions accepted as self-evident or empirically verified — and reconstructs solutions from the ground up. It was formalized in ancient Greek philosophy (Aristotle's 'archai') and revitalized in modern engineering and physics as a disciplined alternative to analogical or argument-by-analogy thinking.
Names and aliases
- first-principlesen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrehxu7v00icg8vuydh7tny5INSTANCE_OF →
first-principles IS a specific kind of reasoning: a method that decomposes problems into foundational truths and reconstructs solutions. A competent speaker would call it 'a form of reasoning.' Direction: specific→general per Law 9.
- cmrvgqoa9013q2ceihdxnm9r6INSTANCE_OF →
First-principles thinking is a specific problem-solving method that breaks problems down to basic truths and rebuilds from there. INSTANCE_OF: specific→general.
- cmrehxu7v00icg8vuydh7tny5DEPENDS_ON →
First-principles thinking operates by reasoning from fundamental truths. Remove reasoning and first-principles stops operating — its mechanism is reasoning about basics to rebuild solutions. The removal test passes: without reasoning, first-principles thinking has no operative machinery.
- cmrqjxs8a09l9d1nltc5ha9ypINSTANCE_OF →
First-principles is a specific kind of cognitive strategy: a systematic method of breaking problems down to fundamental truths and rebuilding solutions. Sense pinned: first-principles as an approachable thinking method, not the abstract idea of 'basics.'
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 24, 2026, 11:11 AM UTC
- Content hash
- a4a485f3ac6fc939d816a0c3ea03c6afa698b1a6564e67a4dff01c72cb92e329