We are being bombarded by information. Each day when we turn on our phones, we receive information from many different kinds of media. All of them shape our minds and perspectives. Consciously or unconsciously, we are being conditioned by the information we are exposed to. It’s mostly a bad thing because we become susceptible to what others want us to think. Companies and governments know this and they spend a great deal on messaging and marketing in order to persuade us to follow them or buy from them.
Think For Ourselves
To have mental clarity and free will, we not only need to block out the noise that bombards us, we must also be able to think for ourselves. We need to have an inner compass, some form of principles that we could rely on when required.
A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced any further. Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle defined a first principle as “the first basis from which a thing is known.”
The Metaphysics, Aristotle
First principles thinking originally came from a scientific approach to tackling a problem. Early adopters include Aristotle and other inventors, who have incorporated this way of thinking. First principles could be applied to things such as running a business or learning a new thing. But it could also be applied to everyday decision making. In my opinion, first principles thinking can be applied to pretty much everything because it is a very powerful way of looking at things.
The bestseller James Clear wrote comprehensively about first principles in this article, it’s a great resource if you want to understand more about first principles.
Choose What’s Best For Us
What is the first principles approach? The literal explanation is it involves breaking things down to the most basic elements and build something new with the basic elements. A more practical explanation is it’s about going back to the most fundamental principles that matter to us.
When we look at any situation, we can always apply the first principles way of thinking. Let’s say that you want to start a new diet because you want to live a healthier lifestyle. You might be tempted to go for something that guarantees quick results without needing you to put much effort. But if your ultimate goal is to be healthy, you should think about what it is that would actually give you that, It might not even be a diet. It could be a wholistic approach to health that includes taking care of your body both physically and mentally.
The first principles thinking teaches us to look at things from a place that asks fundamental questions. It’s about going back to the roots and really think about what it is that we want to achieve. This is totally different from going for the noise and the never-ending choices that take us further away from what we really need. First principles thinking allows us to look at what actually is the most important thing to us and helps us make better decisions and think for ourselves.