COAIA Sequential Thinking

In the larger context of the "Steps in Structural Thinking Process," which is predicated on the core principle that **the underlying structure of anything will determine its behavior**, **Step 1: Start with Nothing** is presented as the foundational and most profound initial step. This process emphasizes understanding the causal dynamics of behavior before attempting to change them, moving away from situational or problem-oriented thinking. Here's a detailed discussion of "Step 1: Start with Nothing": * **Definition and Core Meaning**: * "Start with nothing" means beginning an inquiry **without a "knowledge base," "preconception," or "hypothesis"**. * It is not about starting "without the ability to speak a language or process information," but rather without pre-formed ideas or theories. * The goal is to approach reality by focusing solely on "exactly what it is that you have and not try to anticipate what's coming". * **The Challenge and Rationale**: * This step is described as difficult because the human mind **"automatically makes associations to try to create orientation"** and engages in "comparative thinking". * Relying on a pre-existing "database" or comparing reality to what is already known is not true thinking, but rather "categorizing". This approach means you "miss a lot of reality" and overlook "things that are not consistent with what's in your database". * The mind's aversion to "not knowing" often leads to "speculation" and "theories" about things of which we know nothing, simply to provide an answer. * Strong "concepts" can be mistaken for "reality," even without actual observation. The work aims to help individuals "look better at reality without the preconception of what you're going to find". * **Illustrative Examples and Supporting Principles**: * **Sir Isaac Newton** is cited as embodying this principle, stating that "hypotheses have no place in science". Newton's approach to the falling apple was to start with a question ("why did what happen?") rather than a hypothesis. * **Descartes** similarly advised to "first rid yourself of preconceptions" to truly understand any principle. * **Accountants** are presented as a real-world example of a discipline that inherently practices "start with nothing." They must look at actual numbers "originally, uniquely, not compared to anything else," as doing otherwise (e.g., adding 20% to last year's report based on an assumption) could lead to severe consequences. While they know accounting principles, they must apply them to the unique, current data. * An **art class analogy** further highlights the issue: students initially perceived a distant brick building as "red" because they "substitute a concept of color for observation". Only by isolating the color with a spot screen could they truly observe the atmospheric effect, revealing the actual "blue" color. This illustrates how deeply ingrained concepts can prevent accurate observation of reality. * **Connection to Subsequent Steps**: * This step is directly supported by **Step 2: Picture What Is Said**. Learning a visual language helps to "eliminate biases" and makes it "easier for you to do step one start with nothing because then you're picturing just what the person said and nothing else". By translating words into pictures, one can **"think dimensionally, you can think structurally, you can think in relationships"** and avoid the limitations of linear language, thus enhancing observation and understanding without importing external models or theories. Ultimately, "Start with Nothing" is critical for developing the mental muscles to observe reality more accurately, ensuring that the subsequent steps in structural thinking lead to identifying the true underlying structural dynamics and, consequently, to effective and sustainable change.