Via Negativa

I’ve talked before about ‘via negativa‘; the process of look at what’s not there, or, what might be gained by the removal of something.

In previous posts I referenced Nasim Taleb’s work, and then last night I came across the same phrase in The Book of Wisdom by Osho.

It’s always interesting to me to see the same concept pop up in two very different places.

But perhaps, they are not so different. Osho would probably tell you that he was quite scientific.

So make sure, whenever you make decisions, that you consider what’s missing.

Or what might be gained if something you’re currently doing, were to be removed.

There have been plenty of examples of that this year, but the truth is that this concept has been true for much longer than that.