#mental-model Created at 170723 # [Anonymous feedback](https://www.admonymous.co/louis030195) # [[Epistemic status]] #shower-thought Last modified date: 170723 Commit: 0 # Related - [[Philosophy/Rationality/Models/First Principles|First Principles]] # Zeroth principle Zeroth-principle thinking is a concept that involves building truly original ideas that can reshape society, assuming that nothing is impossible[^1][^3]. It is inspired by the book "Zero: A Biography of Dangerous Ideas"[^4] and is relevant for a wide range of topics, from climate change to health[^5]. ### Analogy: Building a House from Scratch Imagine you want to build a house. Instead of following existing blueprints or copying the design of other houses, you decide to create an entirely new design that has never been seen before. You start by questioning every assumption about what a house should be and how it should function. You then break down the problem into its fundamental principles, such as the need for shelter, space, and comfort. From there, you create a new solution from scratch, resulting in a house that is completely unique and has the potential to change the way people think about housing. This process of questioning assumptions, breaking down problems into fundamental principles, and creating new solutions from scratch is similar to zeroth-principle thinking. By applying this mindset to various aspects of life, we can come up with innovative ideas that have the potential to reshape society. 1. Question every assumption about what a house should be and how it should function 2. Break down the problem into its fundamental principles (e.g., shelter, space, comfort) 3. Create a new solution from scratch, resulting in a unique house design **Zeroth-principle thinking** helps us come up with innovative ideas that have the potential to reshape society. [^1]: https://medium.com/future-literacy/zeroth-principles-thinking-9376d0b7e7f5 [^2]: https://jamesclear.com/first-principles [^3]: https://twitter.com/bryan_johnson/status/1369381167800201219?lang=en [^4]: https://www.mylifeorganized.net/support/notes-formatting-with-Markdown/ [^5]: https://fortune.com/well/2023/07/13/bryan-johnson-life-principles/ [^6]: https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/first-principle-thinking-vs-analogy-principle-e8fd6cc1050e [^7]: https://community.thriveglobal.com/zero-based-thinking-principles-making-better-life-decisions-career-growth-wisdom-advice/ [^9]: https://twitter.com/bryan_johnson/status/1369381160741199887 [^10]: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/first-principles-thinking-what-how-works-scott-glasgow [^11]: https://fs.blog/first-principles/ [^12]: https://www.markdownguide.org/getting-started/ [^13]: https://www.bryanjohnson.co/articles/zeroth-principles-thinking [^14]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV3sBlRgzTI [^15]: https://vitalflux.com/first-principles-thinking-explained-with-examples/ [^16]: https://www.markdownguide.org/extended-syntax/ [^17]: https://www.callin.com/episode/250-zeroth-principle-thinking-tuCdMKMlZf [^18]: https://www.ahmadfahmy.com/blog/2020/7/10/first-principles-thinking-vs-reasoning-by-analogy [^19]: https://cocosci.princeton.edu/papers/zerothprinciples.pdf [^21]: https://www.rationalvc.com/articles/zero [^22]: https://6point6ltd.medium.com/using-markdown-for-note-taking-2f9c83f38a96 [^23]: https://theprofile.substack.com/p/bryan-johnson-kernel-free