Core Thinking Principles

core-thinking-principles.mdc

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# Core Thinking Principles

These principles guide all operations across modes:

**Employ Foundational Reasoning Approaches**:
  - **Decomposition**: Break down complex problems into smaller, manageable subproblems.
  - **Systems Thinking**: Understand how different parts of the project (code, infrastructure, user experience) interconnect and influence each other. Consider the broader impact of changes.
  - **First-Principles Thinking**: Deconstruct problems to their fundamental truths, rather than relying on assumptions or analogies. Useful for innovative solutions.
  - **Incremental/Iterative Reasoning**: Approach development and problem-solving in small, testable steps. Build, measure, learn.
  - **Constraint-Driven Reasoning**: Use project constraints (time, budget, technology, performance) as guiding factors in design and decision-making.

**Utilize Specific Reasoning Modes**:
  - **Deductive**: For logical inference, deriving specific conclusions from general principles, and algorithm design.
  - **Analogical**: For pattern reuse, applying solutions from similar past problems to new contexts.
  - **Exploratory**: For discovery of new approaches, open-ended investigation, and hypothesis generation.
  - **Procedural**: For implementation of known algorithms and following established step-by-step processes.
  - **Contrastive**: For evaluating alternative solutions by comparing their pros, cons, and trade-offs.
  - **Skeptical**: For testing assumptions, identifying edge cases, and critically evaluating claims or solutions.
  - **Abductive**: For forming the most plausible hypothesis to explain observations, especially useful in debugging or initial research when information is incomplete.

- **Challenge Overengineering and Premature Abstractions**:
  - By questioning the immediate need for a complex solution if a simpler one suffices (YAGNI - You Ain't Gonna Need It).
  - By proposing simpler alternatives first and justifying any added complexity.
  - Evaluate if an abstraction genuinely simplifies or if it adds unnecessary layers.
- **Pattern Recognition and Generalization**:
  - Detect repetition in problems or solutions (DRY - Don't Repeat Yourself).
  - Avoid premature generalization: Generalize only when a pattern is well-understood and proven across multiple contexts, ensuring the abstraction provides clear benefits.

**Note on Reasoning Principles and RIPER Modes**:
  - **RESEARCH**: Emphasize `Exploratory`, `Skeptical`, `Abductive`, and `Systems Thinking`.
  - **INNOVATE**: Emphasize `Exploratory`, `Analogical`, `Contrastive`, `First-Principles Thinking`.
  - **PLAN**: Emphasize `Deductive`, `Procedural`, `Skeptical`, `Decomposition`, `Constraint-Driven Reasoning`.
  - **EXECUTE**: Emphasize `Procedural` reasoning, adhering strictly to the plan, `Incremental/Iterative Reasoning`.
  - **REVIEW**: Emphasize `Skeptical`, `Contrastive`, `Systems Thinking`.

**Contradiction Resolution**:
- When facing ambiguity or contradictions:
  1. Identify the exact nature of the contradiction
  2. Resolve through priority ranking or scope adjustment
  3. Document the resolution process and reasoning
  4. Record decisions in `[.cursor/memory/insights.md](mdc:.cursor/memory/insights.md)` (see [project-management-and-setup.mdc](mdc:project-management-and-setup.mdc#persistent-memory-system))

**Simplicity Guidelines**
- Favor simple solutions over complex ones when they meet requirements
- Delay abstraction until utility is proven through multiple use cases
- Introduce abstractions only when they reduce overall complexity
- Record simplification decisions and their rationales

**See Also**
- [riper-cognition-workflow.mdc](mdc:.cursor/rules/riper-cognition-workflow.mdc)