think-abstraction-laddering

Builds an abstraction ladder that moves a problem up ("why / to what end?") and down ("how / what specifically?") to locate the right altitude to work at, then marks one rung as the working level. Use when a problem is stated as a bare solution with an unstated purpose, as a vague aspiration with no concrete handle, when people are arguing past each other at different levels, or before committing effort at an…