Via Negativa

Overview

Via Negativa, articulated by Nassim Taleb in "Antifragile," is the principle that improvement often comes from subtraction rather than addition. We're biased toward adding (features, processes, complexity) when removing (bugs, friction, unnecessary work) often provides more value with less risk.

Core Principle: Focus on what to remove, not what to add. Subtraction is more robust than addition.

When to Use

• System simplification
• Process improvement
• Feature prioritization (what NOT to build)
• Performance optimization
• Reducing technical debt
• Personal productivity
• Decision-making (what to avoid)
• Code review (what to delete)