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Lateral Thinking Summary
About Lateral Thinking Book
“This could be a very useful book for teachers and non-teachers alike. Dr. DeBono does not claim to be able to turn us all into Miltons, Davincis, and Einsteins…but his techniques provide an alternative to just sitting around waiting for the Muse to appear. The Muse never appears to most of us—hence the value of this book.”— David Cohen, Times Educational Supplement
The first practical explanation of how creativity works, this results-oriented bestseller trains listeners to move beyond a “vertical” mode of thought to tap the potential of lateral thinking
“The underlying argument of the book is that there are two kinds of thinking—vertical and lateral. Most of us are educated to think vertically, to go from one logical step to the next, moving all the time towards the one correct solution of our problem. We are not usually educated to be creative, to generate idea after idea….
“Dr. DeBono argues that the function of vertical, logical thinking is to argue what is wrong. It is a very useful way of thinking, but it is not the only useful way. To claim it is, is the sort of intellectual arrogance that makes creative thinking unlikely….
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4.9/5 (3276 reviews)
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Using lateral thinking for solving problems creatively
There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.
EDWARD DE BONO
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Vertical thinking vs lateral thinking
- Vertical thinking is the traditional type of thinking where one moves forward by sequential steps and where each step must be justified.
- Lateral thinking is the process of generating new ideas. It teaches you how to look at a problem from a different angle and challenge your thinking patterns to produce better ways of solving a problem.
- Vertical thinking is very useful for analysing facts, numbers and data. Lateral thinking is useful to solve unique problems that require innovative thinking.
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The need for lateral thinking
In the past, there was an exclusive emphasis on vertical thinking (logic or mathematics). Vertical thinking is linear, logical and produce the final solution from a series of accurate statements.
Vertical thinking is useful, but sometimes we need to think outside the box. When vertical thinking is not getting you anywhere, you should switch to lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is important when constructing strategies or challenging old ways of dealing with a problem.
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Water logic
*mind like water*;
Water always gives a response which is adequate to the input/stimulus given [throw a pebble or large stone- reaction will vary] and then it returns to its inherent calm.
It does not overreact, it does not underreact. Water can overwhelm others but it is not overwhelmed. It can be forced to change the course but it is not frustrated and always finds the way forward.
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Unlearning
Lateral thinking involves reconstruction, escape and provocation of new patterns.
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