How does the TOK (Theory of Knowledge) course relate to First Principles?

Ha, that's a very interesting question, and these two concepts indeed have deep connections. I'll try to explain them to you in plain language.

You can imagine them as a person's "internal strength" and "martial arts moves."

TOK (Theory of Knowledge) is that "Internal Strength"

To put it simply, the TOK course doesn't teach you specific facts, like "1+1=2" or "Qin Shi Huang unified the six states." Instead, it teaches you to reflect on:

• "How do I know that 1+1=2?" (Is it through logical reasoning? Or is it an authority figure like a teacher who told me?)
• "How do we know that Qin Shi Huang truly unified the six states?" (Is it through historical records? Who wrote those records? Could there be bias? How much do unearthed artifacts prove?)

Therefore, the core of TOK is to question and examine the sources, reliability, and limitations of our knowledge. It's like installing an "antivirus software" or a "debugging tool" in your brain, prompting you to regularly check your cognitive system for flaws, assumptions, or blindly accepted beliefs.

After studying TOK, you won't necessarily remember more historical dates, but you'll likely gain a deeper understanding of "history" as a discipline itself. This is internal strength; it enhances your fundamental thinking abilities.

First Principles Thinking is a set of incredibly powerful "Martial Arts Moves"

The term "first principles" might sound esoteric, but the approach is quite straightforward. It means "breaking things down to their most fundamental, indivisible elements, and then reassembling solutions from these elements."

The classic example is Elon Musk building rockets.

• Traditional thinking (not first principles): "I want to build a rocket, so I need to buy one. Wow, rockets are expensive, tens of millions of dollars each. Looks like this isn't going to work." This is thinking by analogy or relying on existing experience.
• First principles thinking: "Wait a minute, rockets are expensive, but what are they made of? Oh, aluminum alloys, titanium, copper, carbon fiber, these materials. How much do these raw materials cost per ton on the market? After calculating, I found that the raw material cost is less than 2% of the rocket's price. So the conclusion is, I can definitely build rockets myself using cheaper methods."

You see, he wasn't constrained by the existing conclusion that "rockets are expensive." Instead, he went back to the most basic physical fact – "what rockets are made of" – and from that foundation, he rebuilt the entire structure. That's first principles thinking.

So, how are these two connected?

It becomes clear now:

1. TOK clears the path for you to use first principles. The hardest step in first principles thinking is breaking free from mental rigidities like "common sense," "conventions," or "what experts say." And the TOK course is precisely designed to train you to do just that! It constantly makes you reflect: "Where does this 'common sense' come from? Is it always true? Under what conditions is it true?" Once you're accustomed to examining all knowledge through the lens of TOK, you won't easily accept ready-made conclusions like "rockets are just expensive." Your brain will be prepared to "deconstruct problems."

2. TOK is about "asking the right questions," while first principles thinking is about "solving problems." TOK teaches you how to dig deep and ask the most fundamental "How do I know?" First principles thinking, on the other hand, takes the fundamental, undeniable "bedrock of knowledge" you've found and then asks, "So what can I build?"

   • TOK would ask: Regarding "batteries," what is our most undeniable knowledge? It's not "batteries are expensive," but rather "batteries are composed of certain chemical elements, and their energy storage principle is electrochemical reaction."
   • First principles thinking then says: Given that, let's find the cheapest chemical elements on the market and combine them in the most efficient way to create inexpensive and good batteries.

To summarize:

TOK is like helping you clean and reinforce the foundation, making it clear which stones are truly solid and which are just deceptive foam. It gives you the ability to identify "what constitutes a true bedrock of knowledge."

First principles thinking, on the other hand, teaches you how to use these personally verified, most solid stones to build your own, brand-new, potentially superior house, rather than just imitating the exterior of someone else's house.

Therefore, someone well-trained in TOK is naturally more likely to become a first principles thinker. This is because their "internal strength" of thinking is already profound enough to master this powerful set of "martial arts moves."