>[!abstract] >Via negativa, or the "negative way", is a philosophical and theological approach that defines concepts by what they are not, rather than by positive description. In apophatic theology, it is used to describe the divine as beyond human categories, asserting what God is not (e.g., not finite, not changeable) to avoid anthropomorphic distortion. More broadly, via negativa appears in philosophy, medicine, and risk management as a strategy of subtraction: improvement by removing harm, error, or excess rather than adding complexity. It highlights the epistemic humility of working through negation when positive definitions risk distortion or overreach. >[!note] >This is close to the [[Inversion|inversion]] idea that avoiding mistakes is more important than chasing successes. For example, not eating that large slice of rich cake is at least as impactful as eating that healthy salad. >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): [[Apophatic theology]] (knowing God by negation, describing what God is not rather than what God is) >- **West** (similar): [[Subtractive epistemology]] (eliminating error, illusion, or excess as a path to truth or robustness) >- **East** (different): [[Via positiva]] (seeking improvement by additive measures — accumulating, building, expanding) >- **South** (downstream): [[Antifragility]] (in the sense of cutting debt, eliminating unnecessary complexity, subtracting harmful habits)