thinking-first-principles
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Translation
ChineseFirst Principles
第一性原理
Strip assumed constraints to independently supported primitives, then rebuild. Escape analogy when convention fails or looks artificially expensive.
剥离假设的约束,提炼出有独立依据的基本要素,然后重新构建解决方案。当常规做法失效或成本过高时,摆脱类比思维。
When to Use
何时使用
- A constraint is treated as fixed ("too expensive," "impossible," "always done this way") without independent support.
- Convention or analogy has failed, stalled, or only yields weak incremental variants.
- Greenfield design where industry defaults may smuggle false requirements.
- Cost or feasibility claims rest on pricing, precedent, or authority rather than physics, math, or measured need.
- 某个约束被视为固定不变(如“成本太高”“不可能实现”“一直都是这么做的”)但缺乏独立依据支撑。
- 常规做法或类比推理已经失效、陷入停滞,只能产生效果微弱的增量变体。
- 全新领域设计,行业默认做法可能隐含虚假需求。
- 关于成本或可行性的论断仅基于定价、先例或权威,而非物理规律、数学计算或实际需求测算。
When NOT to Use
何时不使用
- The constraint is verified physics, hard regulation, or measured capacity → accept it and optimize within it.
- A proven standard library, protocol, or known-good pattern already fits → use it; do not re-derive.
- Time-critical incidents → act on the most likely cause first; reserve first-principles rebuild for post-incident redesign.
- Incremental polish of a working system with no false-constraint signal → skip.
- 约束是已验证的物理规律、严格法规或实测容量 → 接受该约束并在其范围内优化。
- 已有成熟的标准库、协议或经证实有效的模式适用 → 直接使用,无需重新推导。
- 时间紧迫的事件 → 先针对最可能的原因采取行动;将基于第一性原理的重构留到事件后的重新设计阶段。
- 对运行正常且无虚假约束信号的系统进行增量优化 → 跳过此方法。
Procedure
步骤
- State the problem and claimed constraints. List every limit treated as fixed (cost, scale, stack, process, "must use X").
- Classify each constraint. Tag as ,
physics/math,regulation/contract, ormeasured fact. Keep only the first three as binding unless evidence upgrades a convention.convention/analogy/authority - Decompose to primitives. Required inputs, conservation/complexity bounds, true non-negotiables. Demand independent support (measurement, derivation, primary requirement)—not vendor pricing or competitor precedent.
- Discard unsupported assumptions. For each convention tag, state a falsifier. Drop or renegotiate anything lacking support.
- Rebuild from remaining primitives only. Simplest solution that satisfies binding constraints and ignores artificial ones. Prefer commodity inputs and fewer moving parts over analogy.
- Validate and stop. Check against real physics, contracts, and measured needs. Define the cheapest kill test. Stop when a coherent rebuild plus discriminating validation exists, or when only verified hard constraints remain.
- 明确问题和声称的约束。列出所有被视为固定不变的限制(成本、规模、技术栈、流程、“必须使用X”等)。
- 对每个约束分类。标记为 、
physics/math、regulation/contract或measured fact。仅保留前三类作为具有约束力的约束,除非有证据提升常规做法的可信度。convention/analogy/authority - 分解为基本要素。必要输入、守恒/复杂度边界、真正不可协商的要求。要求有独立依据支撑(测量数据、推导过程、核心需求)——而非供应商定价或竞品先例。
- 摒弃无依据假设。对每个标记为常规做法的约束,说明一个可证伪的条件。剔除或重新协商所有缺乏支撑的内容。
- 仅基于剩余基本要素重构。构建满足约束条件且忽略人为限制的最简解决方案。优先选择通用输入和更少的可动部件,而非依赖类比。
- 验证并停止。对照真实物理规律、合同和实测需求进行检查。定义成本最低的验证测试。当完成连贯重构并通过鉴别性验证,或仅剩已验证的硬性约束时,停止操作。
Output
输出
Emit a first-principles rebuild:
- : list with classification tags
claimed_constraints - : independently supported truths only
primitives - : conventions dropped and why
discarded_assumptions - : solution derived only from primitives
rebuild - : real limits that remain
binding_residuals - : cheapest check that would falsify the rebuild
kill_test
生成基于第一性原理的重构结果:
- : 带有分类标签的列表
claimed_constraints - : 仅包含有独立依据的事实
primitives - : 已剔除的常规做法及原因
discarded_assumptions - : 仅基于基本要素推导的解决方案
rebuild - : 剩余的真实限制
binding_residuals - : 可证伪重构方案的最低成本测试
kill_test
Verification
验证
- Independence check: every primitive must cite measurement, derivation, or primary requirement—not precedent alone.
- No smuggled analogy: if the rebuild still depends on "how others do it" without a primitive, strip it.
- Constraint honesty: verified physics/regulation must remain; do not wish them away.
- Over-application guard: if a standard solution is already optimal under verified constraints, do not rebuild for novelty.
- Stop: one decompose → classify → rebuild → kill-test pass; do not recurse without new evidence.
- 独立性检查: 每个基本要素必须引用测量数据、推导过程或核心需求——不能仅依赖先例。
- 无隐含类比: 如果重构仍依赖“他人做法”且无基本要素支撑,需剔除该部分。
- 约束真实性: 已验证的物理规律/法规必须保留;不能主观忽视。
- 过度应用防范: 如果标准解决方案在已验证约束下已达最优,勿为追求新颖而重构。
- 停止原则: 完成一次分解 → 分类 → 重构 → 验证测试通过;若无新证据,请勿重复操作。