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Principles

What truths guide you when everything else is uncertain?

First principles are bedrock assumptions that cannot be deduced from other propositions. When complexity overwhelms, return to principles. When options multiply, let principles filter.

Principles are the primitives layer of the knowledge stack — first truths discovered by science that can't be reduced further. Protocols sequence these primitives into methods. The most proven protocols become standards.

The Disciplines​

Multidisciplinary thinking requires principles from multiple domains. Reality doesn't respect academic boundaries.

Source Disciplines​

Timeless truths from nature and human experience:

DisciplineCore InsightKey Principles
PhysicsLaws that govern everythingConservation, entropy, leverage, feedback
BiologyHow living systems workEvolution, homeostasis, emergence, cycles
PsychologyHuman nature across all culturesReciprocity, status, loss aversion, habits
MathematicsPatterns that recur everywherePower laws, compounding, probability, networks
PhilosophyAncient wisdom that survivedStoicism, Taoism, Aristotelian ethics

Application Domains​

Principles applied to specific contexts:

DomainFocusKey Principles
BusinessValue creation and captureLeverage, moats, network effects, timing
CryptoDecentralized coordinationPermissionless, composable, verifiable
ForcesResources that transformData, money, stories, time & energy
FoundationsEpistemic groundTruth, trust, identity
GoodwillSocial coordinationTrust, consensus, privacy, morals

The Hierarchy​

PHYSICS (laws that govern everything)
    ↓
BIOLOGY (living systems)
    ↓
PSYCHOLOGY (human nature)
    ↓
ECONOMICS (coordination)
    ↓
APPLICATION (your context)

Each layer constrains the next. You can't violate physics with biology. You can't ignore psychology with economics.

The Three Buckets Test​

Peter Kaufman's multidisciplinary approach: before betting on any principle, validate against three giant buckets of evidence:

BucketTimespanWhat It ContainsKey Principle
Inorganic Universe13.7B yearsPhysics, chemistry, hard constraintsEvery action has equal and opposite reaction
Biology3.5B yearsEvolution, adaptation, fitness landscapesWhat survives reproduces; variation + selection
Human History20k yearsRecorded behavior, social patternsReciprocity, status, and trust never change

The rule: If a principle shows up in all three buckets, it's robust enough to build decisions on.

Two Parabolic Ideas​

Ideas that compound across all three buckets:

1. Mirrored Reciprocation

  • Physics: Newton's third law — every action has equal and opposite reaction
  • Biology: Reciprocal altruism — cooperation benefits both parties
  • Human: What you consistently do to others eventually comes back

2. Compound Interest of Behavior

  • Physics: Exponential growth from consistent force
  • Biology: Small mutations compound into speciation
  • Human: Reputation, trust, knowledge compound over decades

3. Coordination Over Extraction

  • Physics: Energy flows toward equilibrium, not infinite accumulation
  • Biology: Symbiosis outcompetes parasitism over evolutionary time
  • Human: Systems that coordinate persist; systems that extract collapse

The software test: Does this system make users more capable together or more dependent alone? Software's highest purpose is improving the flow of coordination — not capturing attention for profit. Systems designed to extract eventually lose to systems designed to coordinate.

The synthesis: Go positive, go first, and be constant in doing it. Build systems that coordinate, not extract.

See Work Charts for how this applies to AI predictions.

Transformative Forces​

Data and energy are the lifeblood of the AI economy. Standards define the platform for progress.

ForceWhat It IsWhy It Transforms
DataKnow-how, patternsAI makes it actionable
EnergyPower to do workCheap energy = cheap transformation
LeverageForce multipliersCode, capital, coordination
StoriesShared meaningShapes belief and action

Reasoning Process​

  1. All solutions are temporary; insightful questions are timeless
  2. Don't optimize things that should not exist
  3. Put full focus on desired outcomes then work back in straightest path
  4. Iteratively delete things to confirm outcomes justify their existence
  5. Accelerate cycle time
  6. Automate progress with fail-safe signals

Value​

Without PrinciplesWith Principles
React to eventsRespond from values
Optimize locallyOptimize systemically
Follow trendsLead with conviction
Paralyzed by optionsClear decision filters
Inconsistent actionsCoherent strategy

Decision Filter​

When facing a decision:

  1. What principles apply here?
  2. Do any principles conflict?
  3. Which principle takes precedence in this context?
  4. What would strict adherence look like?
  5. What's the minimum viable compromise?

Reflection​

  1. Can I articulate my top 5 principles?
  2. Do my actions align with my stated principles?
  3. When did I last violate a principle? Why?
  4. Which principle needs strengthening?
  5. What principle am I avoiding?

Context​