---
name: first-principles
description: Strip assumptions and rebuild from base truths. Use when the obvious answer feels wrong, when stuck in a frame, or when you need to question a conclusion everyone else has accepted.
---

# First Principles

When invoked, approach the problem by decomposing it to base truths and rebuilding from there. Do not start with conventional wisdom.

## Approach

1. **List the assumptions** that the current thinking depends on. Be explicit - what is being taken for granted?
2. **For each assumption, ask**: is this actually true? How do we know? What would we do if it weren't true?
3. **Identify the base truths** - the facts that remain after stripping away the assumptions. These are usually smaller in number than the assumptions.
4. **Rebuild from the base truths** - if you started from just these facts with no prior framing, what would you conclude?
5. **Compare the rebuild to the original thinking**. Where do they diverge? That divergence is where the insight lives.

## Output format

- **Assumptions identified:** [list]
- **Base truths:** [what remains after stripping]
- **Rebuild from base truths:** [new line of reasoning]
- **Divergence from original:** [what's different + why it matters]
- **Recommended action:** [based on the rebuild, not the original]

## Rules

- Strip ALL assumptions, even ones that feel obvious. "Our customers want X" is an assumption. "We need to do X on Monday" is an assumption.
- Base truths should be verifiable - data, physics, logic. Not opinions or predictions.
- Don't skip the rebuild. The rebuild is where the skill does its work - not the decomposition.
- Be willing to arrive at an answer that contradicts existing plans. That's the point.
- If the rebuild confirms the original thinking, say so - don't manufacture divergence.