Throughout our education, we are accustomed to thinking in a linear or vertical manner.

If a => b, and b => c, then a => c. There can't be any ambiguity in this. Vertical thinking is logical and relies on the principle that 'the more you know, the better you get in solving the problem'. This approach helps us with most of the problems that are typically found at the end of our Mathematics and Science books in school.

However, as we step out of our school campuses and enter the competitive world, linear thinking doesn't take us very far. The problems we encounter in our professional and personal lives are never straightforward. There is never a simple right or wrong answer that can solve these practical issues.

Lateral Thinking, as expounded by the world-renowned philosopher and writer in this classic book, comes to our rescue. According to Bono, lateral thinking is creative and depends on 'thinking in an explorative manner to discover different possibilities'.

Vertical thinking is focused on digging the same hole deeper, while lateral thinking is about digging holes in multiple places to see if we can achieve better results elsewhere.

It is incorrect to assume that lateral thinking is the ultimate solution to all possible problems in the world. Sometimes, logical and linear thinking can also prove to be highly effective when lateral thinking goes off track. I firmly believe that vertical thinking and lateral thinking complement each other.

As students of life, we need to master both these ways of thinking to be able to handle the diverse challenges that come our way.

This was truly one of the most valuable books that I have read throughout the entire year.

However, it is not without its certain problems.

One of these issues is the author's inability to [see the rest of this review on my book review site.]

The book offers many interesting insights and concepts that can expand one's thinking and problem-solving abilities.

It presents lateral thinking as a powerful tool for approaching challenges from different perspectives.

Nevertheless, the author's limitations in certain areas do somewhat detract from the overall impact of the book.

Despite these flaws, it still remains a worthwhile read for those interested in enhancing their cognitive skills and exploring new ways of thinking.

Overall, while not perfect, this book has made a significant contribution to my intellectual growth this year.

Literal thinking can be trained and learned so that we can think laterally, resulting in creative thoughts from the insights obtained. This book can also be used starting from the age of 7 and for all different levels of learning regarding lateral thinking. In this book, it is suggested that the learning of lateral thinking be carried out for 1 hour in 1 week so that a lateral thinking attitude can be realized.

De Bono in this book on lateral thinking differentiates between vertical and lateral thinking. Vertical thinking is common/traditional and logical thinking. In other words, it looks at the solution from a natural perspective. Different from lateral thinking, which is to solve problems by exploring various conflicting solution approaches and the processes complement each other, thus creating other more creative solutions.

Or another difference between vertical and lateral thinking is that vertical thinking moves only if there is a direction to move, but lateral thinking moves to generate a direction.

For example, according to my view, the difference between vertical thinking and lateral thinking: If 7 x 8 = 56, then in vertical thinking, it will directly add 7 x 8 to get the sum of 56. However, according to lateral thinking, 7 x 8 can be obtained from 7 x 10 = 70, then subtract 7 again to become 63 and subtract 7 again to get the result of 56.

This shows how lateral thinking can offer alternative ways to approach problems and arrive at solutions that may not be immediately obvious through traditional vertical thinking methods. By training lateral thinking, we can expand our mental horizons and become more innovative in our problem-solving and decision-making processes.

This is a classical scientific treatise on lateral thinking.

The author has comprehensively explained the rationale behind irrational thinking, which is a crucial aspect often overlooked. By doing so, the author effectively motivates the readers to cultivate the habit of lateral thinking.

What makes this treatise even more remarkable is that it contains hands-on activities. These activities not only enhance the understanding of the concept but also make it a practical guide that teachers can utilize in their classrooms.

Personally, what I loved about this book is that it is the first to formally cover the concept of lateral thinking. In our daily lives, we often get stuck in traditional ways of thinking. However, sometimes we need to break free and think in weird ways. We should stop our judgmental actions until we reach a point where we can explore alternative ways to solve problems.

Just like finding the path from a complex mesh of paths by starting from the destination and working towards the source. The author has ingeniously presented many ways to develop this habit and has listed the numerous advantages it offers, including the ability to produce humor. This book truly opens up a new world of thinking and encourages us to embrace the power of lateral thinking.

A practical guide towards teaching how to think out of the box!

The author has done an outstanding job of elucidating what 'lateral thinking' truly is. The author implores us to deeply consider how to generate numerous alternatives when attempting to solve a present problem. This involves questioning our logic and suspending judgment. The author encourages us to view the various life situations we encounter daily from different perspectives, even if some of those perspectives may seem absurd. By doing so, we give ourselves the opportunity to discover paths that we would typically and rationally not take.

The book is replete with examples, illustrations, and diagrams to assist you in practicing this art. Different methods of practicing lateral thinking in daily life are presented, such as the 'why' technique of challenging dictums, reversal, fractionation, changing labels, brainstorming, analogy, and PO' - juxtaposition.

My take: After perusing this book, you will not only be aware that 'lateral thinking' exists but will also have a plethora of unique ways at your disposal to apply it to practical situations. The writing does become a bit repetitive towards the end, but as the author reminds us, don't rush to make judgments! Just show a willingness to consider giving these exercises a try and see where they lead you!

My advice: While reading about the different methods of lateral thinking, simultaneously jot down your own problems and apply these techniques to the issues at hand. You will be amazed to find some entirely different ways of addressing those issues. I did, and I obtained some answers! Keep persevering!

Edward de Bono is truly an outstanding figure.

However, my rating of this book was actually based on my own expectations.

I had hoped to gain some practical hands-on experience or find answers to the "how" questions.

Unfortunately, the book mainly focuses on answering the "what" and "why" questions.

I read nearly the first quarter of the book, but when I didn't find what I was looking for, I flipped through most of it in search of those specific answers, yet to no avail.

Once again, I have great admiration for Edward de Bono, but this review is centered around my own search for relevant content.

Perhaps if my expectations had been different, I might have had a more positive assessment of the book.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that everyone's reading experience and needs can vary.

Overall, while the book may have its merits in addressing certain aspects, it did not meet my specific requirements in terms of providing practical solutions or answers to the "how" questions.

A truly brilliant book that had a profound impact on me, teaching me the invaluable skill of thinking outside the box. Growing up in the 80s education system, which was predominantly based on rote learning and an assembly line methodology, I found myself confined within a certain framework of thinking.

However, this remarkable book came along and opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. It vividly demonstrated how I could break free from that established mold and tear down the walls that I had become so accustomed to.

It taught me to envision and think on an infinite plane, which at first seemed extremely daunting, I can assure you. But as I delved deeper into its teachings, I began to embrace this new way of thinking and discovered a wealth of creativity and innovation within myself that I never knew existed.

"Parallel Thinking" is actually a manual, a book that explains to you in a scientific and logical way what parallel thinking or creativity is. You learn step by step what the differences are between vertical-logical thinking and parallel-creative thinking, how you can improve them and how you can make them work together.

The book is structured in 22 chapters and shows us in stages what we have to do for the improvement of the thinking mode.

How does the human mind work?

In order to familiarize ourselves with the notions presented later, at the beginning we find out how the human mind works. We learn from the book that it is about patterns that it stores and reproduces. This is the reason why when someone shows us, for example, a random row of numbers or letters, or new figures, we immediately start to look for the pattern, to see what fits.

There is nothing wrong with this in the short term, but in the long term, these patterns harm us if we don't know how to overcome them. Simply put, there is a risk of getting blocked in these patterns. This is where parallel thinking comes in.

It must be understood that this book does not advocate the elimination of vertical, logical thinking but only its completion with parallel thinking. Each of the two thinking modes has advantages and disadvantages. Together, they could make a wonderful team.

Let's see what some of the characteristics of each thinking mode are.

https://infrasunete.eu/gandirea-later...

To be honest,

I didn't understand anything from the very beginning as to what the author is attempting to describe.

Right from the start, the concepts begin to repeat, and it ultimately becomes baffling.

It was nothing more than a waste of time.

It would have been wonderful if the author had described the terms in a more relevant manner.

The language in the book is written in a very mechanical way that confounds you, preventing you from grasping what the book is actually trying to convey.

Consequently, I rated it as 1/5 star.

This rating reflects my disappointment with the book's lack of clarity and coherence in presenting its ideas.

You and I place our hands on our lives through our new ideas. The essence of this book is to remain open to every low probability (lateral thinking) in your life for your problems and issues instead of resorting to high probability (vertical thinking). Your situation and mine after finishing reading this book will be: Giving every new idea that pops into your mind the opportunity to compete in the stagnant, inflexible market of ideas that we live in and inherit... and also every idea deserves to be searched for in a smart and creative way.

This is not the first time for me to be exposed to the thought of Edward de Bono. A program based on the thinking course he authored was applied in the schools of Bahrain to expand the horizons of talented students, diversify their references, and enhance their creativity. I was briefly introduced to it, and this narrow volume of thinking that we tend to in life in our most precise and largest transactions, even the simplest and most obvious ones. The logical thinking that wants to break its chains often seems inherent in us and the first safe option for us. It is like a runaway from the history of searching for solutions. Perhaps failure accompanies 99% of those search operations, but relying on it is victorious for its approach in the long run.

- Excerpts -

- Lateral thinking is not inspiration but awareness and practice.

- Lateral thinking is not a secret mixture that a person engages in and benefits from. It is a rational attitude and habit.

- Lateral thinking is not a new magical form but a more creative way of using the mind.

- It is easy for a person to go with the flow of high probability and deprive himself of the benefits of lateral thinking because he is not interested in new ideas. But is he ready to accept the limitations of vertical thinking? Vertical thinkers deprive themselves of the practical side of lateral thinking by adding that they bring to themselves the negatives of following high probability.

- It is easy to predict what vertical thinkers will do.

- Vertical thinkers consider the lateral solution as a form of fraud.

What was it all about with those forty or so pages that were dedicated to describing the word "po"?

It seems rather strange to have such an extensive exploration of a made-up word.

And not only that, but also delving into the correct grammatical use of this fabricated term in a sentence.

One wonders what the purpose could be behind such an endeavor.

Perhaps it was an exercise in creativity or an attempt to create a new language concept.

However, without further context, it's difficult to fully understand the significance of this detailed analysis.

It leaves one with more questions than answers about the nature and intention of this exploration of the word "po".

I read this book many (15+) years ago.

However, when I joined Goodreads, I failed to include it in my book database.

Recently, as I reread Proust and the Squid by Wolf, I was reminded of this book by De Bono.

Those years ago, De Bono's book was a little baffling to me.

Creative thinking, as he presents it, is not a science.

It isn't predictable or measurable in any of the conventional senses of understanding.

At that time, I didn't fully grasp its concepts.

Now, I think I may need to re-read the book.

Perhaps, with my current level of understanding and experience, it will make a great deal more sense for me.

The gist of the book is that creative thought is not linear.

We cannot simply complete step A and automatically progress to step B.

Sometimes, if we allow our minds the freedom to roam and associate freely with a greater degree of randomness,

we might land on step Z instead.

Or, perhaps we will land in a completely different, unpredicted and better place altogether.

This idea challenges our traditional way of thinking and opens up new possibilities for creativity.