Subtraction is a powerful tool

From my Readwise highlights.

Expanding on the concept of subtraction, it's valuable to look beyond its basic mathematical operation—taking one quantity away from another—and explore its broader implications for productivity, thinking, and even personal satisfaction.

In many areas of life, our default behavior is to add: more tasks, more commitments, more features, more information. However, real clarity and impact often come from subtraction—removing the nonessential elements so we can focus on what truly matters. As highlighted, "Clarity comes from subtraction... Disciplined subtraction can help increase your level of contribution. Removing the nonessential increases your ability to focus on and give energy to the most important things" (clarity comes from subtraction).

This concept echoes the wisdom that "to attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day," a quote attributed to Lao Tzu (to attain wisdom, subtract). It suggests that while learning can be about accumulation, true wisdom and understanding often require us to strip away the unnecessary until only the essentials remain.

The idea even shows up in how we try to understand and make better decisions. Nassim Taleb describes “subtractive epistemology”—the notion that we learn more by identifying what is wrong and removing it than by continually trying to add new facts or ideas. "We know a lot more about what is wrong than what is right" (subtractive epistemology). Similarly, the practice of inverse thinking helps us focus not just on doing the right things, but also on avoiding mistakes and errors (inverse thinking).

Subtraction also surfaces as a design and problem-solving principle: the Japanese saying, "Your garden is not complete until there is nothing else you can take out of it" (the art of thoughtful elimination), and Occam's Razor, which advises us to prefer solutions that require the fewest assumptions (Occam's Razor: simplest explanations are best).

In essence, subtraction is not about loss, but about making room. As Greg McKeown put it, "Less but better" describes a philosophy where by reducing, we amplify the importance, visibility, and quality of what's left (less but better). In productivity, this can look like reducing obligations to focus deeply on fewer projects and delivering greater value (do fewer things for optimal results). In knowledge and decision-making, it's about removing falsehoods and unnecessary complexity so truth and effectiveness can emerge.

So, broadening the concept: subtraction is a powerful tool not just in mathematics, but also in thinking, creating, and living. It's about clearing away what distracts, confuses, or diminishes, so the essential can shine through.