First Principles = Systems

First principles.

You hear about them all the time.

If you’re into entrepreneurship, there’s no doubt you’ve read a book, or listened to a talk where first principles was a topic touted with pride.

Everyone likes to say “I think in terms of first principles,” but most of the time they really aren’t.

When people say first principles, most of the time, **they’re talking about second, third, fourth, and even tenth principles.


First principles are the truths that underlie. When you get down to the heart of a thing, they’re the laws, or principles that you find.

First principles = systems

If you want to understand how things work, it’s smart to start with a basic understanding of systems.

Then build up to a more complex understanding of systems.