bhaskar saikia

In a world full of assumptions, trends and borrowed ideas, first principles thinking is a way to clear the noise and see things as they truly are.

At its core, first principles thinking is about breaking a problem down to its most fundamental truths—things that cannot be reduced or disputed—and building your understanding from there. It’s how scientists think. It’s how children learn. And it’s how innovators like Elon Musk reimagine industries.

Instead of reasoning by analogy (“this worked for them, so it should work for us”), first principles ask:

• What do we know for sure?
• What is the problem really made of?
• What if we had to invent it from scratch?

Let’s say you want to build a battery-powered device. Instead of assuming batteries must be expensive because they always have been, you ask: What is a battery? What materials does it need? Can I find a cheaper or better alternative?

The first principles thinking is not just about problem-solving—it’s also a powerful lens through which to view the world. When we learn science, do we ever pause to ask: What is biology, really? Or chemistry? Or physics or mathematics? What lies at their core, when stripped of jargon and complexity?

• Biology, at its root, is about response to stimuli—the dance of life reacting to its environment.
• Chemistry is about what reacts—how substances combine, transform and create everything we see and touch.
• Physics is the science of resonance—the invisible rhythms and vibrations that govern motion, matter and energy.
• Mathematics uncovers patterns—fractals within fractals, a quiet order humming beneath the surface of chaos.

First principles thinking invites us to return to the essence of things. To stop copying what works and start understanding why it works. In doing so, we not only solve problems—we open ourselves to entirely new ways of seeing.

In a world obsessed with speed, first principles teach us the value of depth. They remind us that innovation begins not with answers, but with the courage to ask better questions.