# Elon Musk: A Framework for Thinking  ## Metadata - Author: [[Farnam Street]] - Full Title: Elon Musk: A Framework for Thinking - Category: #articles - Summary: Elon Musk discusses a framework for thinking in a video. He suggests using physics as a framework, which involves reasoning from fundamental truths rather than relying on analogy. While analogy is useful for everyday life, it is not effective for new ideas. Musk also emphasizes the importance of paying attention to negative feedback and seeking it from friends, as it can be incredibly helpful. - URL: https://fs.blog/elon-musk-framework-thinking/ ## Highlights - I do think there is a good framework for thinking. It is physics – you know the sort of first principles reasoning … What I mean by that is boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there as opposed to reasoning by analogy. Though most of our life we get through it by reasoning through analogy, which essentially means copying what other people do with slight variations. And you have to do that, otherwise mentally you wouldn’t be able to get through the day. But when you want to do something new you have to apply the physics approach. Physics has really figured out how to discover new things that are counter-intuitive, like quantum mechanics … so I think that’s an important thing to do. And then also really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. This may sound like simple advice but hardly anyone does that and it’s incredibly helpful. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hyknw92760pssqt5p9wppn0y))