Via Negativa. How to Improve Your Life by Subtracting

In many domains, improvement comes not from seeking the good, but from eliminating the bad.

You draft a long, complicated email full of complex sentences and jargon. To improve it, instead of asking, "What can I add to make this better?", you apply Via Negativa and ask "What can I remove to make this clearer?".

You cut out every unnecessary word, sentence, and paragraph, resulting in a far more effective email.

What is Via Negativa and how does it help me improve?

A core idea in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's work, Via Negativa (Latin for "the negative way") argues that we often have more knowledge about what is wrong than what is right.

It is easier to identify what causes harm than what creates good. For example, in medicine, it is far easier to know what kills people than to define perfect health. This principle, which is similar to Inversion, suggests that we can achieve significant improvement by focusing on subtraction.

By removing sources of downside––bad habits, toxic people, bad food, bad investments–– we automatically improve our condition without ever needing to find the "perfect" solution. It is a philosophy of addition by subtraction.

How can I apply Via Negativa to my daily life?

When creating a diet, instead of focusing on what to add (kale, superfoods), focus on what to remove (sugary drinks, processed foods, alcohol).

The net effect on your health is often easier and cheaper to execute.

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