Via negativa
Виа негатива · Виа-негатива · Путь отрицания
Improve by subtracting harm - not by adding clever fixes. Removing bad inputs is more reliable than adding good ones.
We know what's bad with high confidence; we know what's good with low confidence. Removing the bad (sugar, debt, single points of failure, useless meetings, toxic dependencies) is almost always a more reliable improvement than adding a new optimisation.
Most «improvements» add fragility. Via negativa is the opposite - and it compounds.
Health: removing sugar and alcohol almost always beats adding any supplement stack. Workflow: removing redundant meetings beats any new productivity tool.
- 1Before adding anything, ask: «what could I remove instead, with the same goal?»
- 2Run a 30-day subtraction experiment: pick one thing, remove it, see the effect.
This part of the knowledge base is inspired by the book. Go to the Ukrainian edition to explore the concept in depth.
- · Антихрупкость - via negativa