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FIPS Releases its First Principles Thinking Review (Volume 2 / Issue 1)

Factory for Innovative Policy Solutions • June 30, 2021

The Factory for Innovative Policy Solutions is proud to present you with the second volume of the First Principles Thinking Review. In the spring of 2020, we launched this publication with the aim of creating a space to host an international and interdisciplinary conversation about tackling societal challenges with first principles thinking. Over the past several months, a number of returning and first-time authors from different backgrounds and walks of life have contributed their thought-provoking ideas to the Review. In the following pages, you will learn about the role of first principles in the scientific method and how they shape the process from coming up with possible explanations, or hypotheses, to generating theories. Furthermore, you will see how first principles thinking can be applied to a wide array of challenges, from fighting homelessness to evaluating business opportunities. Finally, you will be granted an exclusive preview of state-of-the-art research being conducted on first principles thinking as an innovation process.

You can download it HERE.

About this publication

The Review is divided into two sections. In the first section, Theory, our contributors seek to expand the area of knowledge related to first principles and the associated methodology itself. Here, history, philosophy and the exploration of other problem-solving methods come together in order to better our understanding of what exactly first principles thinking is and how it can be used. In the second section, Practice, our contributors investigate different ways of applying the first principles thinking method to societal challenges. This is where abstract ideas are turned into concrete proposals for overcoming real-world problems through first principles thinking.

The First Principles Thinking Review is the first of its kind with respect to its scope and focus. Although first principles thinking can be traced back to ancient times, surprisingly little has been done to develop its potential as a catalyst for societal innovation and progress. It is therefore the purpose of this publication to finally change that status quo. By dedicating the pages of the Review to create an outlet for interdisciplinary research and experimentation, the Factory for Innovative Policy Solutions hopes to engage as many inquisitive minds as possible in the realization of this project. For this reason, we remain dedicated to the principles of open-access publication and encourage you, our reader, to share the content found herein and join our global network of first principles thinkers.

Call for submissions

For those readers who would like to see their ideas published in the next issue of the First Principles Thinking Review, please submit a draft article through the Factory for Innovative Policy Solutions website, where the editorial guidelines are described in greater length and detail. In the event that you would like to make a contribution but are not sure of how to get an article off the ground, our editorial team welcomes unsolicited emails with rough ideas or topic proposals. Our editors are more than happy to work with you on developing such ideas into articles that can be published and shared with those who are in a position to help implement your ideas to solve the societal challenges you care about. We hope that the articles you find herein shall serve as a source of both inspiration for new ideas as well as the motivation that is necessary to make those ideas a reality.

Apply first principles thinking yourself?

Would you like to apply first principles thinking yourself and have your problem-solving experience published in the First Principles Thinking Review? Then be sure to check out the submission guidelines and send us your rough idea or topic proposal. Our editorial team would be happy to work with you to turn that idea into an article. 

Submission guidelines

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Disclaimer : The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in submissions published by FIPS reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views held by FIPS, the FIPS team or the authors' employer.


Copyrights : You are more than welcome to share this article. If you want to use this material, for example when writing an article of your own, keep in mind that we use cc license BY-NC-SA. Learn more about the cc license here .

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