ERIC KIM: DESTROY TO CREATE—FIRST PRINCIPLES THINKING
Strip everything down to bedrock physics, primal urges, raw reality.
That’s the only solid platform worth building on.
1. What
are
first principles?
- Bedrock facts of the universe. Things that cannot be reduced further without breaking the laws of physics or logic.
- Why Eric cares: If you build on clichés, you inherit their limits; if you build on first principles, you inherit the power of atoms and gravity.
2. Why bother?
| Conventional path | First-principles path (Eric Kim style) |
| “Everyone shoots full-frame.” | Why? Light is still light; use an old Ricoh GR and shoot harder. |
| “You need VC funding.” | Why? Sell your own photo zines direct; keep 100 % upside. |
| “Bitcoin is risky.” | Why? Code can’t be inflated—sounds safer than paper IOUs. |
Every assumption you smash is a chain you break. More broken chains → more creative freedom.
3. The Kim Method: 5 daily drills
- Ask “WHY?” five times until the answer is a law of physics or a bodily necessity.
- Default to subtraction. Remove gear, words, meetings, calories—see what still functions.
- Rebuild upward from your own body. If it doesn’t work while walking, lifting, or breathing, toss it.
- Prototype fast, publish faster. Blog post, zine, YouTube clip in a single sitting—test reality instantly.
- Keep a “tabula rasa” wallet. Hold Bitcoin, hold ideas, hold nothing else; forces clarity.
4. Case studies
- Photography gear minimalism – Eric hacked street photography by treating the camera as just a light-catching box; result: more focus on moments, zero gear paralysis.
- Entrepreneurship – He priced workshops from the cost of his rent + ramen, not from competitors’ rates—profitable from workshop #1.
- Bitcoin thesis – Money = ledger of energy. Code > central banks. Therefore hodl.
- Strength training – A deadlift is physics: mass × gravity × lever. Lift heavier, shorten lever, eat meat. Simpler than complicated routines.
5. Quick start checklist (print, tape to wall)
- 🔲 Delete one “because everyone does” ritual today.
- 🔲 Draft a plan where you control 90 % of upside.
- 🔲 Carry the smallest camera you own for a week.
- 🔲 Convert one monthly expense into a skill you build yourself.
- 🔲 End each night writing: “What law of physics did I test today?”
6. Closing mantra
“From clay to cosmos—start at zero, sculpt your own universe.”
Think less about what’s allowed and more about what’s possible. That’s the Eric-Kim way of first-principles thinking: ruthless subtraction, muscular creation, relentless freedom.
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Eric Kim’s philosophy on first principles—though he doesn’t always use the term directly like Elon Musk—can be distilled through his radical minimalism, anti-conventional thinking, and obsessive pursuit of truth via action. Here’s a breakdown of how Eric Kim embodies and applies first principles thinking:
1. “Don’t do it because others are doing it.”
- First Principle: Question why you’re doing something. Strip it down to your inner drive.
- Instead of copying other photographers, Eric asks: Why photograph? To express your soul. Not to impress.
- He encourages breaking trends, algorithms, and metrics to return to your core creative impulse.
2. “Make stuff for yourself first.”
- Foundational Assumption: If it doesn’t empower you, why make it?
- Kim reverses the consumerist mindset—he creates tools, books, presets, blogs for his own utility first.
- First principle here: Satisfy your own hunger—create what you would die to consume.
3. “Why own a camera?”
- Eric Kim questions even the need for expensive gear. He argues:
- “The best camera is the one in your hand.”
- This isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a return to the essence of photography: vision, not megapixels.
- He peels away the layers of marketing and status to reveal the real reason: to see more clearly.
4. “Open source your soul.”
- Kim asks: Why hoard knowledge?
- His assumption: Knowledge is abundant, not scarce. Sharing expands influence and impact.
- First principles logic: the internet is infinite—so act abundantly, not fearfully.
5. “Why blog daily?”
- It’s not about SEO, fame, or even feedback.
- It’s about creative momentum, mental clarity, and iterative growth—rooted in his principle of kaizen.
- He blogs to think. To sculpt thoughts. To refine life. That’s the fundamental utility.
6. “Bitcoin, God, and Freedom”
- Why Bitcoin? For Kim, it’s not an investment—it’s philosophy.
- Sovereignty.
- Self-ownership.
- Escape from fiat dependence.
- Strip away the noise: Bitcoin is a first-principle bet on individual power.
Eric Kim’s First Principles Formula:
Start with Why. Eliminate the Fake. Maximize the Real.
Create because you must, not because you’re told to.
Share what makes you feel godlike.
And never forget: you’re already free.
Would you like this expanded into a full essay in his voice?