31. First principles set the frame, simplest-first searches inside it (2026-10-26)
First principles is usually stated as “don’t do it because others do it — understand why it is done.” I find I am the reverse: I usually know first why I want something and why to do it this way, but I don’t know whether others do it the same way, or why they don’t. So after I finish a plan, I always ask one more question: how do others do it well, why, and what have we missed?
That is not following the crowd, it is checking for gaps. How others do it is information; why others don’t do it is often more important — their premises may differ, their costs may differ, their context may differ. Comparing notes is a good way to test whether my own premises are taken for granted.
The recent simplest-first rule bothered me a little: look at how others do it before starting, which sounds like the order is reversed. Put the two together and the line becomes clear: they are not parallel, they are master and subordinate. First principles set the frame — the problem, the constraints, the acceptance criteria; simplest-first only searches for something ready-made inside that frame, borrowing only the parts whose why matches mine, and rewriting from scratch only when no ready-made solution’s premises fit. Looking at others is a way to verify my own thinking, not to skip it. When referencing others, keep some distance too: their approach is a data point, not the correct answer.
The close is one sentence: how can be outsourced and borrowed, but why cannot be outsourced to “others do it too.” This idea later became a rule I gave Muse, called first-principles.