first_principles_learning.htm
First Principles Learning
Elon’s mental model for learning quickly is the ‘Knowledge Tree.’The idea is to view knowledge as a tree so you can break it into bits.For example, ‘Trunks and big branches’ VS ‘Leaves and fruits’.
Trunk - old books, biographies, history, super texts. Teach you the principles and fundamentals. True timeless wisdom. Fruits - new books, blogs, podcasts. Consume to look at things in a new way. Leaves - news and noise.
Knowledge is a semantic tree; you need to understand the fundamental principles. The trunk and big branches before you get to the leaves