via negativa is a Latin term that means the negative way or the way of denial. It's most commonly associated with how Christian mystics would talk about God, but it also comes up in Buddhism and Hinduism. Theology uses via Negativa to try to begin to just barely understand what the human mind can't really comprehend.
Welcome to another Friday Philosophy episode where we consider a different mental model, investigate our favorite frameworks, and muse on the creative habits and rituals of people we admire.
Today we’re digging into an esoteric philosophy called, Via Negativa.
We'll be looking at this framework and sharing how we use it to improve our relationship with time, how we discern our highest priorities, and how to avoid burn out.
Key take aways:
- How to use the theory of Via Negativa to abate burn out, overwhelm, and discern our most pressing priorities
- The power of subtracting vs. adding into several areas of our lives when thinking about our future visions
- How to conserve your energy by asking better questions like, “what's blocking my current perspective that I might be able to subtract?”
- How this mental model can help reduce “grasping energy”
📚 Resources and Links:
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