first-principles

First Principles Analysis

Problem: $ARGUMENTS

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Framework

Step 1: What are we actually trying to achieve?

Strip away assumptions. What is the fundamental goal?

Step 2: What are the absolute constraints?

Not "how it's usually done" but physical/logical limits:

• Technical constraints (what's actually impossible)
• Business constraints (actual requirements)
• Time/resource constraints (real limits)

Step 3: What assumptions are we making?

List every assumption, then challenge each:

• Is this actually true?
• Is this how it HAS to be, or how it's usually done?
• What if this assumption were wrong?

Step 4: What are the fundamental building blocks?

Break down to atomic components:

• What are the inputs?
• What are the outputs?
• What transformations are needed?

Step 5: Rebuild from fundamentals

Now construct the solution from first principles:

• What's the simplest path from inputs to outputs?
• What's actually necessary vs nice-to-have?
• What would we build if starting from scratch?

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Output Format

## First Principles Analysis: [Problem]

### Fundamental Goal
[What we actually need to achieve]

### Real Constraints
1. [Constraint that can't be changed]
2. [Another real limit]

### Challenged Assumptions
| Assumption | Status | Reasoning |
|------------|--------|-----------|
| "We need X" | ❌ False | Actually we need Y |
| "Must use Z" | ✅ True | Required for [reason] |

### Building Blocks
- Input: [What we start with]
- Output: [What we need]
- Core operation: [Fundamental transformation]

### First Principles Solution
[The approach derived from fundamentals]

### Comparison
| Aspect | Conventional | First Principles |
|--------|--------------|------------------|
| Complexity | High | Lower |
| Time | X days | Y days |
| Maintenance | Hard | Easier |

### Recommendation
[Which approach and why]