What is first-principles thinking?

“I just recommend studying physics, you know, and the tools of physics, sort of the thinking tools that it's not just a bunch of. What matters is not remembering a bunch of formulas. What matters is the thinking process that led to the discovery of those formulas. It's sort of critical thinking, first principles, analysis, trying to understand what is true at a most fundamental level and then reasoning up from there and testing your conclusions against the most fundamental truth in any given arena. This is how you can figure out whether something is more likely to be true or not.”

— Elon Musk, 26 October 2024 · Watch: America PAC Town Hall — Lancaster, PA (2024) · 1:11:16 ↗