# Via Negativa ## The Idea in Brief Improve by removing, not adding. The sculptor reveals the statue by removing marble. The editor improves the draft by cutting words. In life, avoiding stupidity is often more valuable than seeking brilliance. Addition is overrated; subtraction is underrated. --- ## Key Concepts ### The Addition Bias Humans default to solving problems by adding: more features, more rules, more interventions. We overlook subtraction because it feels like not doing something. But addition has costs—complexity, side effects, maintenance burden. Subtraction is often cleaner. ### What Not to Do Charlie Munger: "It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent." Avoiding big mistakes beats seeking big wins. The investor who avoids blowups outperforms the one chasing home runs. ### Negative Knowledge We know more about what's wrong than what's right. Medical progress often comes from identifying what harms (smoking, trans fats) rather than what helps. Knowing what not to do is more robust than knowing what to do—harmful practices are easier to identify than optimal ones. ### Lindy and Subtraction Old things have survived; new things haven't proven themselves. Via negativa suggests: before adding something new, try removing something recent. The modern addition may be the problem. Strip away until you find what actually works. ### Iatrogenics Sometimes intervention causes more harm than the problem. Doctors who over-prescribe. Managers who over-manage. The first rule: do no harm. If you're not sure your intervention helps, don't intervene. The burden of proof is on action, not inaction. --- ## Implications **In health:** Remove harmful foods and behaviours before adding supplements and interventions. Not smoking matters more than any superfood. **In productivity:** Remove distractions and commitments before adding productivity systems. Saying no is more powerful than optimising yes. **In writing:** Cut ruthlessly. Most drafts improve by deletion. If a sentence doesn't carry weight, remove it. **In business:** Before adding features, consider removing complexity. Before adding processes, consider eliminating unnecessary steps. Simplification often beats optimisation. **In decisions:** Ask "what should I stop doing?" as often as "what should I start doing?" The list of things to avoid is often more actionable than the list of things to pursue. --- ## Sources - [[Antifragile]] — Taleb's core concept; via negativa as the path to antifragility through reduction - [[Skin in the Game]] — "Do not harm" as the fundamental ethical principle; survival through avoiding ruin - [[Essentialism]] — The disciplined pursuit of less; "reverse pilots" to test what can be removed - [[Richer, Wiser, Happier]] — Munger's inversion: avoid stupidity rather than seeking brilliance