An aggressive first principles approach often leads otherwise well-intentioned technologists into strategic / ideological dead-ends.
Do we do things because it's the "right thing" to do in the moment, or because of the final outcome that will eventually result?
The most ideal answer is somewhere in the middle. I am far more interested in the total area under the curve than a single instant in time.
In lieu of intentional higher order thinking, simply working backward from your customer on a regular basis will generally accomplish the same outcomes.
Your last sentence says it all. Just get good at first principles thinking. Higher order thinking is first principles thinking when applied to first principles thinking.
And who should first principles focused on? Your customer, your manager, your company, yourself? All of these are valid and often give competing answers!
First order thinking works really well when dealing with spherical cows and ignoring air resistance. Once nuance and the fractal complexity of the real world come into play factors come into play, empirical phenomenon and experience become much more important. How much weight you gove to first principles depends on how theoretical or practical your domain is, e.g. science vs engineering.
I think I'll stop commenting in this thread as it seems like no two people in this thread are using compatible meanings of "first principles" thinking. Forget about equivalent meanings of it.
"First order" thinking from my knowledge is an entirely different concept.
bob1029 · · focus · HN ↗
An aggressive first principles approach often leads otherwise well-intentioned technologists into strategic / ideological dead-ends.
Do we do things because it's the "right thing" to do in the moment, or because of the final outcome that will eventually result?
The most ideal answer is somewhere in the middle. I am far more interested in the total area under the curve than a single instant in time.
In lieu of intentional higher order thinking, simply working backward from your customer on a regular basis will generally accomplish the same outcomes.
itishappy · · focus · HN ↗
And who should first principles focused on? Your customer, your manager, your company, yourself? All of these are valid and often give competing answers!
overfeed · · focus · HN ↗
BoiledCabbage · · focus · HN ↗
"First order" thinking from my knowledge is an entirely different concept.