Nature, Nurture, and Niceties: The Hierarchy of First Principles

Travel with me for a moment. We are headed to Los Angeles, the City of Angels. From overhead, high above a suburban intersection, we see four cars rolling up to a four-way stop. And it’s our first stop in a series on first principles, where we’ll unpack the hierarchy, from laws of nature, human nature, and the tribe, to see why all laws are not created equal.

A four-way stop like this can be found in every city and town in America, and there is a reason for that. They have a root in first principles and the laws of nature. They help us navigate the physical laws involved in a four-car pileup, where mass, momentum, and rigidity don’t negotiate.

Sounds simple enough but just wait.

The laws of human nature, psychology, complicate matters. Fear, bias, and emotion, cloud our judgment.

In this scenario, the laws of the tribe can support the greater good. The stop signs help those of us that failed physics and fell asleep in psychology. But what happens next is something I’ve often described as, “so polite, it hurts.” Because when we disregard the laws of nature, and human nature, the laws of the tribe, both formal and informal, win out. And the tribe, well, the tribe don’t math so good.

The scene I’m describing is part of the opening sequence of L.A. Story—and as you might recall, each driver waves the other forward.

“You go.”

“No, you go.”

“No, really, I insist. You go.”

It seems polite, until they all simultaneously accept the others invitation, crossing into the intersection, and smashing into each other.

The fate we all knew was possible was fulfilled because the drivers selected the least potent of all available principles.

Jerry Seinfeld said “pain is knowledge rushing in to fill a void, with great speed.” I’d add, if you don’t understand the laws of nature, they will introduce themselves, with great speed.

When people discuss first principles, they are talking about the laws of the universe.

Their universe.

The term comes from ancient philosophy. Aristotle called it “archai,” meaning origin or beginning, and was describing fundamental truths that serve as the building blocks for knowledge.

What ideas do we have about the way the world works? And what happens when we break those ideas down into the core, verifiable, truths?

The term was later used in other disciplines, from Thomas Aquinas to René Descartes and Isaac Newton. They embraced the concept and used it in their own intellectual travels. The idea was to strip complex problems down to their elements. Breaking away from assumptions and dogma.

Of course, I came across the term on a podcast. And then on a conference call. And then in the news. And I was confused.

Looking across the kitchen last summer, I asked, “What the hell are first principles?”

We were a few hard seltzers deep and, as I often do, I was using my big brother as a sounding board.

“First principles?” He asked.

“Yeah, all these fleece vest wearing finance interns keep talking about first principles. But none of them are talking about the same thing.”

He’d been hearing it as well. We are both smart, and tall, and handsome. If we couldn’t figure it out, who could?

From the laws of nature, the laws of human nature, and the laws of the tribe, I started to see that there is a hierarchy to first principles. An order of things.

And not all laws are equal.

The Order of Things

The laws of nature, like the physics of a four-way stop, hold true for all of us. But some lesser principles might apply to just a subsect.

Take economics for example. You can find plenty of reading about the principles of economics, and there are well established schools of thought. But that right there should be a red flag. Many schools of thought mean we don’t have a fundamental truth.

Take it one step farther and try to explain your economic beliefs to a monkey. Are they bound by your principles?

Now, what happens when you shoot that same monkey into space?

When Ham the Astrochimp became the first great ape to fly amongst the stars, people from all over the globe, capitalist or communist, were on the same page. They all agreed that the unforgiving laws of nature—gravity, g-forces, motion, inertia, and heat—were having their way with little Ham. Because those are fundamental truths. First principles of the highest order.

Ham the Astrochimp was bound by first principles of nature, not tribal ideals. — Ham, the Astrochimp

What we can see from this example is that the closer you are to fundamental truths, to bedrock, the more leverage, sustainability, and universality you will see, regardless of the domain.

Hard work is a fine family value, a principle your grandpappy passed down to your parents, and your parents to you. But as Seth Godin writes, “You can’t pick yourself up into the air by lifting on your boots, no matter how hard you try, because gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law.”

So, the order goes something like this:

Laws of Nature: Physics, chemistry, biology

These are the universe’s ironclad truths. They’re immutable, offering the highest leverage and the highest consequences.

How fast a car can safely move through a mountain pass, how much force is needed to stop it, and what happens if you ignore the science. The price of excess here could cost you your life.

Laws of Human Nature: Psychology

Rooted in biology and evolution, these drive our fears, hopes, and desire. They’re predictable at times yet easily misinterpreted.

Thoughts dance through your head as you driver. Fear of crashing slows you down, or the thrill of speed pushes you past reason. Misjudge your limits, and you’re flirting with disaster. These laws are predictable, but do have some variation, opening first principles to judgment and perception.

Laws of the Tribe: Sociology

Fluid and group-driven, these norms prioritize practicality, order, and cohesion, using social standing as the primary stake. They’re based on control, compliance, and perceived safety rather than necessity. And they include both informal norms and formal rules created by the tribe. They correspond to the values of that specific group, which don’t always hold true across broader contexts.

A speed limit, for example, is a formal rule posted by the tribe—not the fastest or safest speed, but one that works for most drivers. It trickled down from fundamental truths, acting as a proxy for a higher-leverage principle. The price for excess is diluted as well—perhaps just a ticket, but you’ll likely walk away with your life. Still, the law exists to keep people within a range of acceptable risk. The tribe also operates with less formal rules. Niceties, norms, and rules of thumb.

The principles and laws within this hierarchy come in two primary flavors: fundamental truths and fundamental beliefs.

Fundamental truths are the universal, immutable laws of the universe—like the physics of gravity or the chemistry of a reaction—that anchor the laws of nature. They are true, and true for everyone.

Fundamental beliefs, on the other hand, are more subjective and context-dependent, often rooted in sociology, psychology, or morality. These beliefs shape the lower-level laws like those of human nature and the tribe. They’re powerful, but they vary across cultures, groups, and individuals.

But there’s a third category even lower in the hierarchy: values. Values are situational principles or priorities that specific groups or organizations hold, often tied to the laws of the tribe. Unlike fundamental beliefs, which have broader applicability across contexts, values are more arbitrary and don’t always hold true even within similar domains. As we explore first principles, we’ll see how truths, beliefs, and values interact within this hierarchy, and why all principles don’t carry the same weight. We’ll also see how mistakes are made, when people over index on their values, while ignoring the higher impact beliefs and truths.

Next time you’re waving someone through an intersection, remember: the laws of physics don’t care about your manners. Up next in this series on first principles, we’ll see how Amazon used this logic to rewrite the rules of business.