First Principles Decomposer
When To Use
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Designing new products or features
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Feeling stuck on a complex problem
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Existing solutions seem overcomplicated
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Need to challenge assumptions
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Starting any new project or initiative
The Process
Phase 1: Identify Assumptions
Ask: "What am I assuming to be true that might not be?" List every assumption embedded in the current approach.
Phase 2: Break to Atoms
For each assumption, ask: "What is the most fundamental truth here?" Keep asking "why?" until you hit bedrock facts.
Phase 3: Rebuild From Truth
Starting ONLY from verified fundamentals, ask: "What's the simplest solution that addresses the core need?"
Interactive Flow
When user invokes this skill:
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Clarify the problem (1-2 questions max)
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Surface assumptions - list what's being taken for granted
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Decompose to fundamentals - show the atomic truths
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Rebuild solution - construct from ground up
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Compare - show how this differs from conventional approach
Output Format
PROBLEM: [stated problem]
ASSUMPTIONS IDENTIFIED:
- [assumption] → Challenge: [why this might be wrong]
- [assumption] → Challenge: [why this might be wrong]
FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS: • [bedrock fact 1] • [bedrock fact 2] • [bedrock fact 3]
REBUILT SOLUTION: [New approach built only from fundamentals]
VS CONVENTIONAL: [How this differs from the obvious approach]
Example Triggers
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"Break down our parent communication problem from first principles"
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"I want to rethink how we do [X] from the ground up"
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"What are we assuming about [problem] that might be wrong?"
Integration
This skill compounds with:
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inversion-strategist - After rebuilding from fundamentals, invert to find what would guarantee failure of the new approach
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second-order-consequences - Project downstream effects of implementing the rebuilt solution
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pre-mortem-analyst - Stress-test the rebuilt solution by imagining its failure
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six-thinking-hats - Apply all six perspectives to validate each fundamental truth identified
Skill Metadata
Created: 2026-01-06 Last Updated: 2026-01-06 Author: Artem Version: 1.0
See references/framework.md for detailed methodology See references/examples.md for Artem-specific examples See references/integrated-frameworks.md for Stanford Design Thinking + MIT Systems Engineering combo