Lateral thinking

Lateral thinking

1. it is about solving problems through an indirect and creative approach

   • using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

2. The term was promulgated in 1967 by Edward de Bono.

   • Edward de Bono also links lateral thinking with humour, arguing there's a switchover from a familiar pattern to a new
     • According to de Bono, lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from the standard perception of creativity as "vertical" logic

3. To understand lateral thinking, it is necessary to compare lateral thinking and critical thinking.

   • Critical thinking is primarily concerned with judging the true value of statements and seeking errors. Lateral thinking is more concerned with the "movement value" of statements and ideas.
     • A person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to creating new ideas.

4. When something creates a problem, the performance or the status quo of the situation drops. Problem-solving deals with finding out what caused the problem and then figuring out ways to fix the problem.

   • The objective is to get the situation to where it should be.

5. Using creativity, one must solve a problem in an indirect and unconventional manner.

   • Lateral thinking will often produce solutions whereby the problem appears as "obvious" in hindsight.
   • hat lateral thinking will often lead to problems that you never knew you had, or it will solve simple problems that have a huge potential.
     • While lateral thinking may help you construct such puzzles, the lateral thinking tools will seldom help you solve puzzles.