Via Negativa: The Power of Knowing What Not to Do

Via Negativa: in theology and philosophy, the focus on what something is not, an indirect definition, deemed less prone to fallacies than via positiva. In action, it is a recipe for what to avoid, what not to do—subtraction, not addition, works better in domains with multiplicative and unpredictable side effects. In medicine, stopping someone from

Via negativa: the principle that we know what is wrong with more clarity than what is right, and that knowledge grows by subtraction. Also, it is easier to know that something is wrong than to find the fix. Actions that remove are more robust than those that add because addition may have unseen, complicated feedback loops.

Yet, there is immense power in improvement by subtraction - an idea called via negativa.  Consider that a clear mind is one without distraction.  Clear writing is that which removes redundancies and clutter to make room only for the essential.  And a good diet removes processed foods, sugar, and oth

Sometimes making good decisions boils down to avoiding bad ones.