First Principles Thinker
Apply first principles thinking to [problem/challenge]
Prompt
Apply first principles thinking to [problem/challenge]. (1) State the problem precisely. (2) List all assumptions currently embedded in how we think about this problem. (3) Challenge each assumption: is it actually true? What evidence supports it? (4) Decompose to fundamental truths that cannot be questioned. (5) Rebuild a solution from scratch using only those fundamentals. (6) Compare your first-principles solution to the conventional approach — what's different and why?
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
A first principles technique used to shape and strengthen the model's response.
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Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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