Via negativa examples
Often the surest improvement comes from removing, not adding. Subtracting the harmful or unnecessary beats piling on more solutions.
What is via negativa? Read the full idea →
5 examples of via negativa
Health by subtraction
Cutting sugar, smoking, and stress does more than any supplement you could add.
Editing a draft
Deleting the weak sentences improves the writing more than adding clever new ones.
Decluttering
Removing what you don't use makes a home work better than buying more storage.
The simpler product
Taking features out can make software more loved than cramming features in.
Avoiding stupidity
Munger's version: you get rich less by being brilliant and more by consistently not being dumb.
How to spot it in yourself
- Faced with a problem, ask 'what can I remove?' before 'what can I add?' — subtraction is usually the overlooked lever.
- Health, work, design: cut the harmful and unnecessary first (sugar, distractions, weak sentences) before chasing additions.
- Eliminate the clearly bad options first; what remains is often the obvious answer.
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