Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M11420

Prime Mover

Prime Mover
CultureHigh supportPhilosophy
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Aristotelian concept: the ultimate cause of all motion/change—itself unmoved but moving everything. Extended meaning: seeking the starting point of a causal chain.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Ask "What started all this?" When analyzing a problem, trace back along the causal chain to the initial driving factor.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Originating from natural theology and cosmology, it refers to the initial cause that sets a system in motion; in management, it metaphorically refers to the key initial intervention required to start a previously static system.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_moverZH · Explicit
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