Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less

4 4 out of 5 stars | 335 ratings

Price: 13.12

Last update: 06-26-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Henry Quach
5.0 out of 5 stars Subtraction: a truly transformative tool
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021
The main idea of this book is very simple yet very powerful at the same time. Subtraction is about achieving an end result that is less. Getting to less doesn't mean we're doing less; rather, it's quite the opposite. We do much more thinking when we consider outcomes that involve subtraction because it forces us to think more than we did before when we defaulted to addition-solutions only.

Subtraction isn't meant to be this end-all-be-all panacea to our problems; however, it's an extremely powerful tool to consider when we go about searching for solutions. While it is much easier to default to addition, I will personally try to apply this framework of subtraction in my own day to day.

Personally, I enjoyed all of the examples that Leidy provides. It shows how ubiquitous subtraction is in problem solving and allows the reader to see subtraction through a multitude of different lenses and contexts. Whether it's a challenge as simple as connecting two Lego structures in the least cumbersome way possible, or redesigning a bike such as the strider bike, to much larger challenges such as climate change, subtraction can--and arguably should--play a vital role in the solution.

Leidy is incredibly brilliant, and his work on subtraction is novel and has the potential to be transformative in the way people attack the grand challenges of our time. I highly recommend others give this book or any of his other published works a read.
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Henry Quach
5.0 out of 5 stars Subtraction: a truly transformative tool
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021
The main idea of this book is very simple yet very powerful at the same time. Subtraction is about achieving an end result that is less. Getting to less doesn't mean we're doing less; rather, it's quite the opposite. We do much more thinking when we consider outcomes that involve subtraction because it forces us to think more than we did before when we defaulted to addition-solutions only.

Subtraction isn't meant to be this end-all-be-all panacea to our problems; however, it's an extremely powerful tool to consider when we go about searching for solutions. While it is much easier to default to addition, I will personally try to apply this framework of subtraction in my own day to day.

Personally, I enjoyed all of the examples that Leidy provides. It shows how ubiquitous subtraction is in problem solving and allows the reader to see subtraction through a multitude of different lenses and contexts. Whether it's a challenge as simple as connecting two Lego structures in the least cumbersome way possible, or redesigning a bike such as the strider bike, to much larger challenges such as climate change, subtraction can--and arguably should--play a vital role in the solution.

Leidy is incredibly brilliant, and his work on subtraction is novel and has the potential to be transformative in the way people attack the grand challenges of our time. I highly recommend others give this book or any of his other published works a read.
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Anon
4.0 out of 5 stars Good insight
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2022
We're always trying to improve or solve issues by doing more. There are reasons for doing less. The book makes a good case, but doesn't fully explain how to switch mindsets.
J Williams in Decatur, Ga.
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable -- exploring the science and thinking behind Kondo-esque less
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2021
Klotz's accessible exploration of centuries of philosophy and decades of research focused on lessening our loads (mentally, culturally, personally, economically, email in-box-ally) is revelatory and beautifully synthesizes seemingly unsynthesizable disparate ideas and stories (Aristotle and Springsteen, apartheid and dump trucks, Dr. Seuss and Keynes, toilet handles and space mirrors) with writing that is clear, crisp, humane, humorous, propulsive and sometimes novelistic. This is as much a call to action to simplify and focus in one's life and work (with a checklist -- or, "lesslist" -- easy to remember and adapt) and as inspirational of new thought as anything I've read in years. How lucky are Dr. Klotz's students -- the creativity, humanity, warmth, and intellect emanate from every page.
Mark
3.0 out of 5 stars Subtract before you add
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022
Our brains evolved to reward aquisition.
The author notes that addition is perhaps humanity’s oldest cultural heritage. First came addition, then came civilization.

Then came Keynesian economics.
In 1949, President Harry Truman addressed a nation of post-depression war-torn Americans. In his speech, Truman expounded that the way to world peace is if America would take up the mantle of ensuring that people in every country had more food, more clothing, and more access to the goods and services of a rich life. So,

Based on the recommendations , the citizens of the free world would be encouraged to add like they’d never added before.

The reasoning of economist John Maynard Keynes was this: If everyone bought more products, then companies would expand in number & size , which provides more jobs, so that people could afford more goods and services. Truman extended this to declare that the key to world peace is economic growth. Truman’s speech gave rise to modern consumer capitalism. & so, ever since, we incessantly buy more & more to add to our lives in the name of peace & prosperity for all.

Now the avg American home has over 250,000 unnecessary items.

However , The author makes the irrefutable point that no matter how many hours you work, you can not earn more time; that time is forever spent.

We now live in a culture of busyness; where some even brag of living on little sleep. Or wear working 60-80 hours a week as a badge of honor. All this is obviously stress & anxiety producing. The author offers for contrast that a person living in the Middle Ages had more leisure time than any of us do.

So evolution had our brains motivate us & reward us for "more" beacause food was scarce. And in the modern world we are locked in a culture of acquisition. So the thought of subtraction is often over-looked.

Verified In a very simple experiments, such as: There are 2 towers made by simply stacking blocks & a bucket of more blocks. The towers are not the same height & subjects are asked to make the towers the same height. 95% of subjects added a block to the shorter tower. Only 5% thought to take one block away from the taller tower.
In the real world, construction costs are less if you use less blocks. There are many stories in the book showing the suprising power of subtraction. One such story was a lady who determined that cinderblocks are only load-bearing on the outside, so she made hollow blocks which saved a fortune. The blocks are just as strong, but much lighter & much cheaper.
Computer scientist Cal Newport preaches digital minimalism; chef Jamie Oliver distills recipes down to five ingredients; and the tidying savant Marie Kondo declutters homes. Each of these gurus guides us to specific ways we can subtract to improve. And their counterintuitive advice brings joy.
Da Vinci defined perfection as when there is nothing left to take away; seven centuries since William of Ockham noted that it is “in vain to do with more what can be done with less,” and two and a half millennia since Lao Tzu advised: “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day.”

When confronted with a problem, Consider what you might Subtract, before spend the effort lookibg for what you can add.
‎
5.0 out of 5 stars Another book to declutter your life
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2023
This is from the life side, unlike Kondo's way which focuses on physical possession. Both are very good approaches, both will bring joy to your life.
LetterPress
2.0 out of 5 stars Needs a heavy dose of its own medicine
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
While I was intrigued by the idea of subtraction, the author (and editors) could have pared this book down by half to make it better. So much repetition, fluff, filler and blather. What I wanted to read is a deeper examination of why subtraction is so difficult and how we could relearn this skill and apply it in our own lives. What I read obscured this central motif with bloat, endless examples of the author’s 4 yo (charming as he is), and explorations of ideas far away from the center of his thesis. An intriguing idea, and so useful for us today. Good for the author for identifying this. I hope he someday writes that book!
Green
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting argument
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
I buy the author’s general argument that there people have a default tendency to make things more complex, to assume more complexity is better. However, the author sometimes argues for subtraction filled by addition. I certainly think that there are nuances that need to be explored with this concept, but the does not give a lot of guidance to help a reader know when increased complexity or when subtraction and simplification would provide better outcomes.

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