WanderRx First Principles

[Those] who try methods, ignoring principles, are sure to have trouble. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

First principles are the fundamental truths that can serve as bedrock in our seeking as we evaluate new information. How can we know what to trust and therefore experiment with or incorporate into our lives? These first principles allow for critical analysis and creativity so that we may build a more reliable understanding of reality as we explore information. No one of these first principles should be applied in isolation from the others if the bedrock is to hold.

1. Bias is inherent in the human condition. Therefore, it exists in all people. Information is deduced through a human lens. Therefore, we must routinely engage in metacognition - an examination of how we think - to identify where bias can mislead.

2. Science isn’t finished. As such, it is common for new understanding to supplant and sometimes reverse what had previously been held as scientific truth. We must allow for this to happen, consider whether and how much to trust and be thoughtful about such reversals.

3. Mystery is to be respected as a potentially as yet unsolved scientific phenomenon. It’s not unusual for the judgment of “crazy” or “unfounded” to be slapped on as a label when mystery is encountered. We will refrain from flippantly throwing the “crazy” flag.

4. There is value in studying the immaterial in our environment. The physicist, Niels Bohr, suggested that we must go beyond empirical observation and into the philosophical contemplation of the nature of reality itself. Similar to the rejection of the mysterious, we’re too often wedded to believing only in things that can be seen, measured and tracked through some mechanism. Some of the smartest scientists in history encourage us to open up to the existence of things that don’t meet these criteria.

5. Humans are heterogeneous at the cellular level. Because of the interplay between our genetics, epigenetics, gene expression, environment, experience and microbial diversity, people don’t respond to things in identical fashion. This may be one explanation for why medicine, lifestyle solutions and change tactics vary in their impact from one person to another. It’s also why we encourage experimentation.

6. Simplicity on the far side of complexity is golden. As Einstein stated, “things should be made as simple as possible but not simpler”. Oversimplification can produce logical fallacies and wrong guidance.

7. Moderation cultivates balance in a world of extremes. It allows us to embrace the richness of experience while nurturing the integrity of our wellbeing.

8. Art and science are two sides of the same coin, each illuminating the other. Creativity fuels discovery and empirical discipline gives form to imagination. Developing a life of flourishing is both art and science.