Letters: First Principles

Dear Friend,

If you really wish to understand many concepts in life at a fundamental, low-level level, I would recommend you break away from, or reduce your consumption of, many contemporary books on these concepts.

And note, I don’t seek to give them a bad name; they are very useful, but just like how getting solid in IT fundamentals and Networking is essential in becoming proficient in cybersecurity, you should understand that these contemporary books build upon the ones on ‘first principles’

• You want to understand money and economics? Have you perused The Wealth of Nations by Adam Grant?

• You want to understand Maths and Physics? How about Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton?

• How about politics and power games? You should read The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli.

• Media Literacy and Emotional Mastery? A book like Propaganda by Edward Bernays.

Not surprisingly, many flee these books because they seem archaic, out of touch with modern reality, but…?