Thoughts on First Principles

The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade is an opportunity to examine the importance of first principles. First principles are the passions and ideas that drive our behavior. They are very different from corporate mission statements, which are easily ignored. First principles can’t be ignored because they animate all our actions, but first principles can be examined and changed.

What is the First Principle of Pregnancy?

Our republic has competing passions about what is the first principle of pregnancy. One side feels pregnancy is a matter of personal autonomy, that everyone has a right to make their own health decisions and to make those decisions outside of government oversight. Another side feels pregnancy creates an obligation to the fetus, an obligation that trumps the rights of the mother. These first principles are irreconcilable. Irreconcilable first principles create conflict in government, businesses, and within ourselves. First principles embody our beliefs about what is desirable and worth pursuing. They are more than facts, morals, or opinions. They are the laws written within ourselves that we cannot disobey. Every institution and every person has to deal with first principles. Many are not honest about what their first principles really are.

Rigorous Honesty as a First Principle

First principles can be analyzed and reformed, but the effort requires rigorous honesty, which is the first principle of some recovery programs. Before recovery, an addict’s first principle is to satisfy their addiction. Addicts can love others, but treating others in a loving way will never be their first principle until they recover from their addiction. The very definition of addiction is that it comes before everything else. This is true of all first principles; they come before everything else.

First principles steer all policies. Our prescriptions and motivations to address poverty will be very different if we believe poverty is more an economic issue than if we believe it is a moral issue. If we believe our product is not selling because customers don’t recognize its value, all our actions will be informed by that belief. Data can never reconcile opposing principles because principles are based on passions and not facts. Democracy is intended to blend opposing principles into new principles: thesis, antithesis, synthesis. The recent federal gun legislation is an example of how this process can work. Both sides found a principle they could agree on; schools should be safe from gun violence. The legislation moved forward because the two sides agreed on their first principle.

Corporate America and First Principles

A company’s first principle motivates all its actions. ExxonMobil calls itself an energy company. One energy company might choose as its first principle to grow, protect, and exploit forms of energy where the company produces significant profits. Another energy company might choose to develop green sources so abundant and so efficient that they put all fossil fuel producers out of business. Opposing ideas cannot be first principles in the same company. If a company tries to make both green energy and oil production its first principle, one principle will never be more than a hedge to the other.

Corporate Responsibility: It’s Still a Thing

No organization can opt out of the issues of its time. Not taking a position on an issue is as good as taking one. The ice caps don’t care if we take a position on climate change. They will keep shrinking regardless. Women will continue to get pregnant regardless of our position on pregnancy. There are a lot of things businesses can do about issues of the day, but what should they do?

Start by looking in the mirror. What is the business about at its core? It’s OK if the answer is “to support a comfortable life for me and my family,” or “to allow me to travel.” First principles are about what we define as the good and what we believe is the meaning of life. We should be honest with ourselves with subjects that important.

Not every business will feel compelled to oppose the status quo on issues of the day. This is an honest position if it reflects the business’s principles. Just don’t say, “We’re a people first company,” and not provide paid family leave or cover travel expenses for health procedures.

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