The First Principles Process

Break down and rebuild any problem:

• Identify assumptions — list everything you believe about the problem. Most are conventions, not truths
• Question each assumption — ask: is this actually true, or just the way it has always been done?
• Find the fundamentals — strip away convention until you reach truths you cannot deny
• Rebuild from fundamentals — construct solutions using only those truths as your foundation

This is harder and slower than reasoning by analogy, which is why most people skip it. But it is the most reliable way to find solutions nobody has found before.