After a reference in Peopleware, I discovered Edward de Bono's book on Lateral Thinking. I had mainly heard about lateral thinking in the context of brain-teasers, but was delighted to find it had much more depth. This book could serve as a companion to How to Solve It.

"Creativity is usually treated as something desirable which is to be brought about by vague exhortation." (page 7)

Lateral Thinking is almost like a textbook for a creativity class, complete with very concrete activities and teachers' guides. The topic is orthogonal to deductive reasoning; it's about finding more starting points rather than following one path.

This can be applied to problems with "correct" answers, but it also extends to many other areas such as writing, design, planning, and deciding what other problems to work on. Nearly anything can benefit from "insight restructuring."

One technique for generating new ideas is to use random input: take a random word or a random Wikipedia article, juxtapose it with your topic or problem, and see where it leads. Using random input reminds me of the role of noise in training neural networks.

Throughout the book, de Bono emphasizes the importance of suspending judgment, which is useful not just in brainstorming. One related practice is "yes, and": building on ideas rather than shutting them down. A possible tactic is "extracting the functional principle of the idea" (page 163): even if the details seem unworkable, the underlying concept could be affirmed and expanded.

Review ✍️:

I did finish the book relatively quickly, and before writing this review, I took the time to look at other reviews.

I have to admit that I do agree with the general consensus that the engagement factor was lacking. At one point, I even thought I might have made a mistake in picking up the book. However, as I reached the end, I began to get a sense of what it was attempting to communicate.

The book was useful in that it made me look at situations from a different perspective, and it was definitely thought-provoking. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel that brevity could have been utilized more effectively to drive the point home. It was a shame that the message seemed to get lost in some of the more convoluted explanations.

Overall, despite its flaws, I did enjoy the book. In fact, I may even look into De Bono's other works to see if there is any change in theme or approach. I'm curious to see if he has managed to improve upon the areas that I felt were lacking in this particular book.

My initial thought upon receiving the book was "Another self-help book", similar to Dr. Norman Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking". The book seemed a bit outdated. The printing font and newsprint evoked memories of an era back in the 70s. I truly enjoyed "The Power of Positive Thinking", so my expectations for this book were relatively high.

I flipped through the first few pages. So far, everything was going well. There was an explanation of what lateral thinking is. However, I did experience some confusion. Perhaps it was because I had encountered the concept of lateral thinking many years ago without realizing what it was.

The book contains numerous assignments and tips on how a teacher can best train students to utilize lateral thinking. I would highly recommend it for those who are in need of teaching this subject. It provides valuable insights and practical strategies that can enhance the learning experience and help students develop their lateral thinking skills. Overall, despite its slightly dated appearance, the book has the potential to be a useful resource for educators and those interested in exploring the power of lateral thinking.

What do humor, creativity, and lateral thinking have in common?

It is the ability to break previously established mental patterns.

Although De Bono is one of the great authors on creativity, his proposal is based on the way to break mental patterns to "find out what happens" and if this leads us anywhere.

This seems to be a somewhat redundant book, as in each chapter it repeats the essence of lateral thinking. However, as the author himself mentions, it is a book to be read by chapters and for reference in the teaching of lateral thinking.

The latter indicates who the ideal readers of this work are: educators, teachers, and people interested in restructuring their thinking. Therefore, when reading the book, hasty judgments should be avoided.

It is an excellent recommendation for people who call themselves "creative".

The book presents a rather fascinating perspective on the ways or methods by which one can think "Outside The Box."

Our education system has been structured in such a manner that proposing any solution, thought, or approach that challenges the existing context has been strongly discouraged and, in some cases, even penalized by many teachers. Over the years, this kind of behavior creates mental barriers that effectively扼杀 our creativity or, as the book refers to it, our ability to think laterally.

Edward De Bono is attempting to shatter these mental limitations and rekindle the ingenious creativity that has been dormant within all of us.

Obviously, the barriers erected over such a long period cannot be demolished simply by reading one book; the author is fully cognizant of that fact. Therefore, what he provides us with are flexible frameworks that we can apply to a variety of situations that demand us to be creative and thereby gradually and steadily lower those barriers.

Can two plus two equal five?

Can water run uphill instead of downhill?

Is it possible to attach magnets to apples and then create a machine that can pluck the apples from the apple tree by attracting magnets?

In ordinary logic, these things may seem strange or absurd. This typical way of thinking is called vertical thinking. However, there is another way of thinking, an out-of-the-box way, which is called lateral thinking. Lateral thinking unlocks a vast ocean of ideas and possibilities for problem-solving, developing new ideas, and even in daily life.

"Lateral Thinking" by Edward de Bono explores the concept of lateral thinking in great detail. The book elaborates on what lateral thinking is, what it does, and how it is practiced.

The book delves deep into the concept of lateral thinking while highlighting its obvious connection to the functioning of the human mind. Each chapter is divided into a definition section and a section of practice examples.

In this review, I will share some of the insightful points from the book. Without further ado, let's get started!

EDUCATION, CULTURE, CONFLICT & THE NEED FOR LATERAL THINKING

While culture is concerned with establishing ideas, education is concerned with communicating these established ideas. Typically, education focuses more on the collection of ideas, but the true meaning of education is not just the collection of ideas but also the best ways to use them.

In most schools, the type of thinking promoted is vertical thinking or thinking based on total logic. Ideas are pitted against each other in conflict for change. Typical education works from the outside.

Lateral thinking, on the other hand, is more concerned with insight rearrangement from within. To do this, we must understand how the human mind works.

THE MECHANISM & FUNCTIONING OF HUMAN MIND

The mind is an information handling machine, similar to a computer. The basic characteristics of the mind are:

• It is a self-organizing, self-maximizing memory system.

• It is a patterning system that creates, recognizes, reacts to, and makes use of patterns, where established patterns develop a code.

• It works in code communication, with a code heading, trigger word, and activation of a pattern.

• It has the ability to switch over from one arrangement of information to another, resulting in either humour (if temporary) or insight (if permanent).

• It is a cumulative memory system that picks out information from the environment based on preset patterns stored in it.

• It is a memory surface, where the accumulated memory trace forms a pattern, like the contours of a landscape or a jelly plate with hot and cold water poured on it.

• The mind has a limited attention span, and only part of the memory can be activated at a time, depending on what is presented to the memory surface. The most easily activated area is the most familiar one, and a familiar pattern becomes even more familiar, forming and storing a stock of preset patterns for code communication.

• Its content depends on the sequence of the arrival of information.

WHAT IS LATERAL THINKING?

Lateral thinking is liberation from old ideas and stimulation of new ideas. It is insight restructuring for maximum use of stored information. It is a means for restructuring and escaping cliché patterns to put information together in new ways and generate new ideas. Lateral thinking is concerned with changing patterns and is directly linked to the information handling system of the mind. It is used for generating new ideas, problem-solving, and processing perceptual choice, which is the natural patterning behavior of the mind that determines what goes in each package of information. Instead of looking for right answers, lateral thinking generates alternatives for looking at new ways of the situation.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VERTICAL THINKING & LATERAL THINKING

Lateral thinking and vertical thinking are complementary. Here are some differences between the two:

• Lateral thinking is generative, while vertical thinking is selective.

• Vertical thinking is used to dig a hole deeper, while lateral thinking is used to dig a hole in a different place.

• In vertical thinking, rightness matters, while in lateral thinking, richness matters.

• Vertical thinking is concerned with selecting the best approach, while lateral thinking is concerned with generating as many approaches as possible just for the sake of generating them.

• Vertical thinking works with a direction, while lateral thinking works by generating directions.

• Vertical thinking is analytical, while lateral thinking is provocative.

• In vertical thinking, one moves from one step to the other, one step at a time, while in lateral thinking, one doesn't have to be sequential and can jump from one point to the other.

• In vertical thinking, one uses negative to block certain pathways, while in lateral thinking, there is no negative.

• In vertical thinking, one throws out what is not relevant, while in lateral thinking, one welcomes what is irrelevant to generate alternate ways of looking at a situation.

• Vertical thinking is a finite process where one works to arrive at an answer, while lateral thinking is a probabilistic process where there is no need for an answer.

TECHNIQUES, TOOLS & DEVICES FOR LATERAL THINKING

#1 Generation Of Alternatives

The most basic principle of lateral thinking is that any particular way of looking at things is only one of many possible ways. Lateral thinking is concerned with exploring these other ways by rearranging and restructuring information. Instead of blindly accepting the most obvious approach, one looks for alternatives. Practice generating alternatives with geometric figures, non-geometric shapes, pictures, photographs from newspapers and magazines, altered pictures, written material such as stories, problems, and inconveniences of everyday living. Quota is the term used to describe the number of alternative ideas generated in a given period of time.

#2 Challenging assumptions

Instead of generating alternatives A, B, C, D, we examine the assumptions A, B, C, D.

#3 The why technique

Repetition of why at each step. By refusing to be comforted with an explanation, one tries to look at things in a different way and increase the possibility of restructuring a pattern. For example, why is the blackboard black? Because the chalk is white. Why is the chalk white?

#4 Innovation

Involves forward thinking and moving forward. Building up something new rather than analyzing something old.

#5 Suspended judgement

The purpose of thinking is not to be right but to be effective. Vertical thinking involves being right all along, and judgement is exercised at every step. One is not allowed to take a step that is not right. Vertical thinking is selection by exclusion, and judgement is the method of exclusion, with negative (no, not) as the tool of exclusion. The need to be right all the time is the biggest barrier to generating new ideas. With lateral thinking, one is allowed to be wrong all the way but must be right at the end. Suspended judgement is a deliberate delay in judgement, where one postpones it until the end instead of applying it immediately.

#6 Design

Design is a convenient form of using lateral thinking principles. Visual expression of a complicated structure is much easier than verbal expression. Create a new design, redesign something, or do organizational design. Divide a design into individual units of functions.

#7 Dominant ideas & crucial factor

A dominant idea is the organizing theme, a way of looking at a situation. One defines it in order to escape from it. Why are we always looking at this thing in the same way? The dominant idea is not in the situation but the way of looking at the situation. The crucial factor is the element, the tethering point that must always be included no matter how one looks at the situation. What is keeping us to this old approach? The dominant idea organizes the information, and the crucial factor tethers it.

#8 Fractionation

In the self-maximizing memory system of the mind, there is a tendency for patterns to become larger and larger. The more unified a pattern is, the more difficult it is to restructure it. So, one divides a pattern into fractions and restructures the pattern by restructuring these individual fractions and then reassembling the rearranged fractions to generate a new pattern, a restructured pattern.

#9 Reversal Method

Reverse how you look at something. One takes things as they are and turns them round inside out, upside down, back to front. For example, you can make water run uphill instead of downhill. Another example is a policeman organizing traffic - reversal - a policeman disorganizing traffic - traffic organizing the policeman, etc. No one is better than the rest - one is simply searching for provocative rearrangements of information.

#10 Brainstorming

A formal setting for the use of lateral thinking. The main features include cross stimulation (stimulating others' ideas and receiving stimulation in return), suspended judgement, formality of the setting, group activity, and notetaking (a permanent list of the many butterfly ideas generated in a brainstorming session).

#11 Analogies

A simple story or situation that is compared to something else. Making a connection between the given situation and a similar situation. An analogy has a life of its own and is used to provide movement to the train of thoughts.

#12 Choice of entry point & attention area

The attention area is the part of the situation or problem that is attended to. The entry point refers to the part of the problem or situation that is first attended to, the first area of attention. Rotation of attention - divide a problem into fractions or features and rotate the attention from one area to the other. Separation of units, selection of units, combination or reassembly of units.

#13 Random Stimulation

Instead of trying to work from within an idea, one uses external stimulation that acts on the idea from outside. Random exposure - to welcome a new situation and deal with it.

If this book was a driving lesson,

the first few chapters seemed to be preaching about the contribution of driving to human history.

However, this didn't bring me any closer to understanding the practical aspects of driving.

Then, after the first 20% when the real content was supposed to start,

the unattractive textbook vibe began to seep out.

The text became so dry that I seriously considered DNF (Did Not Finish) it on many occasions.

Finally, I actually did DNF it for real.

Surely, there must be a better way to explain these things, right?

Maybe a more engaging and practical approach would have been more beneficial.

Rather than focusing solely on history, the book could have incorporated real-life examples and hands-on exercises.

This would have made the learning process more interesting and relevant.

As it stands, this book failed to capture my attention and left me feeling disappointed.

I hope that future editions or similar books will take a different approach and provide a more effective learning experience.

The basis of Edward De Bono's theory of thinking, which is 'lateral' or in essence, more broadly, is truly fascinating.

This was one of the very first books of Edward De Bono that I had the pleasure of reading. It was an outstanding read indeed.

In his attempts to explain complex theories, he employs highly insightful and abstract comparisons that his theories have with tangible objects. This approach makes the understanding of his otherwise intricate ideas much more accessible and engaging.

I absolutely love how he presents his thoughts and theories in such a unique and thought-provoking manner. It truly makes one think outside the box and explore new ways of looking at things.

Overall, this book has been a great source of inspiration and learning for me, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the field of thinking and creativity.

An eyeopener for a logical thinker.

Learnings here are multifaceted. Firstly, it is about creating more alternatives. This allows for a broader range of possibilities and solutions. Challenging assumptions is another crucial aspect. By questioning the status quo, we can break free from traditional thinking and uncover new perspectives. Building innovative ideas is essential for progress. It involves combining different concepts and approaches to come up with something truly unique. Rearranging patterns can also lead to new insights and solutions.

Postponing decision making can give us more time to gather information and consider all the options. Important tools such as brainstorming, using analogies, and techniques of attention areas and entry point, as well as random stimulation, are worthy to implement. These tools can help us generate more ideas and think outside the box.

This knowledge will be extremely useful for driving continuous improvement, idea management, and problem solving in the R&D function. It can enhance our creativity and innovation, leading to better products and services.

Ehhhh 2.5 stars.

I truly respect the man and his genius. However, the writing in this work is rather difficult to follow. The language clearly shows its age.

I firmly believe that if it were modernized, it could actually convey a very good message regarding the development and practice of thinking in creative ways.

But, in the end, all I could see was the message of turning off judgment and focusing on bringing up all kinds of different ways of thinking about something.

He presents a plethora of means to go about thinking differently, and I think it would be highly beneficial to practice them more.

Regrettably, it just wasn't effectively presented in this book.

Perhaps with some updates and revisions, it could become a more impactful and useful resource for those seeking to enhance their creative thinking skills.

Lateral thinking is a powerful tool that can help the mind break free from its established patterns and think in new and innovative ways.

There are two main modes of thinking: vertical and lateral. Vertical thinking is the more traditional approach, where we take an idea, solidify it, and support it with data and facts. It's like digging a hole to plant our idea. Lateral thinking, on the other hand, is about looking for other places to start digging.

With time and practice, anyone can learn to think laterally and reap the benefits. This type of thinking requires us to reserve judgment and identify the dominant ideas that may be limiting our thinking.

We can also use techniques like the reversal method and analogies to switch up our thinking and come up with new perspectives. Additionally, paying attention to areas and entry points can help us achieve unexpected insights.

Finally, there are two ways of sparking random stimulation: exposure and formal generation. By exposing ourselves to new and diverse experiences, or by using formal techniques to generate random ideas, we can open up our minds and think more creatively.

Lateral thinking is a valuable skill that can help us solve problems, generate new ideas, and think outside the box.