Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step

Edward De Bono has not only successfully written a challenging guide on creative thinking, but a manual on how to read and teach it. De Bono begins by laying out the framework for lateral thinking and how it compares to vertical thinking, the type of thinking we are most often taught early in schools. Where vertical thinking seeks to find one answer, lateral thinking aims to find as many alternatives as possible, no matter how silly the alternatives may appear. The silly alternatives can transform into or inspire something great. Throughout the book, De Bono reminds readers that the key to creativity is liberating oneself from existing patterns and restructuring them to create something new. Each new chapter offers new techniques on how to achieve this, as well as practice examples that can be utilized when teaching the material to students. Lateral thinking came to life for me in Chapter 14: “The reversal method.” In this technique, one takes an existing system and reverses it. Simply applying the reversal method does not ensure a new solution, but it is a great way to stimulate creative ideas. A paraphrased example of this method in action: A duchess, who was “much overweight” (144), kept dismissing her physicians for putting her on unpleasant, near-starvation diets. One doctor reversed the idea of taking away food and prescribed the duchess “a glass of sweetened milk half-an-hour before all meals (which of course reduced her appetite very much)” (145). Though I read it over the course of a week, De Bono recommends sitting with each chapter for several weeks or months in order to practice and fully integrate each method into your daily thinking. I look forward to rereading and integrating these practices into my life. The wisdom in this book is applicable to all aspects of life, whether that be at work, home, or play. With short, easy to read chapters full of lively examples, I recommend this book to all who desire to think outside the box, and who are willing to come up with some silly ideas on the road to some really great ones.

Lateral thinking is a concept that so little attention has been paid to, and most dismiss the concept without a second thought. But through this book, Edward De Bono showcases the incredible capability and flexibility of lateral thinking with clear examples and concise definitions that are made practical in day-to-day life and business without dismissing the need for vertical thinking. This book is a lot to swallow, so I would recommend taking your time with it, but the content is rich with many moments that might make you question whether you should try lateral thinking. While there are some moments he gets a bit wordy with explanations or uses one too many examples (hence the 4 of 5 stars), I think this book is an excellent read that can teach you a different way of thinking and approaching problems. If you get lost at any point in a chapter, he also provides a summary at the end, which is really helpful.

Dr. Edward de Bono coined the term "lateral thinking," and this is the book that explains what it is, how it works, and what it does in the realm of creative thinking. It is one of my favorites -- along with just about everything else de Bono has produced -- and I've used his various teachings to good effect in my classrooms. Creative thinking is sorely needed in the United States today as it transitions from an industrial nation into a technology-based society. This book is the core of de Bono's philosophy, and central to all his teachings. Everyone, from individuals to businesses, can learn from it.

This is a great book. It will get you thinking in new ways. It will help you break down patterns of thinking and help get creativity unstuck. This book has already got my brain working in ways that it never seemed to be able to do before. I have really only just begun to discover what I can accomplish with the tecniques in this book. The information in this book can ( I believe) unlock your unlimited potential as a human being.

I did not like this reading. For me it this book is complicated and sometimes boring! I had to read it very slowly to understand the concept.

This will get you to thinking - HA! It helps organize and think in different ways. If you like to experiment, it gets you to look at things in different light. It gives examples of the techniques as well as exercises to do. Fun and practical, what a deal.

Dr. Edward de Bono is a well known creative thinker that dedicated his life to finding creative solutions by questioning the status quo. In his book “lateral thinking” de Bono explains what it means to think outside of the box and goes over the concept of lateral and horizontal thinking. The book was eye opening in the sense that de Bono stresses the importance of finding new ideas, especially in a society that is obsessed with self improvement, technology and creative solutions that will make our lives better. Additionally, I find it interesting how accessible de Bono is formulating his thoughts and the book is an excellent read no matter what niche or field of expertise you work in. Some parts of the book are kind of hard to grasp at first sight but with many helpful exercises one always feels inspired after reading.

To many diagrams for my liking takes away from the heart of the message. The SUMMA RY PAGES says it all.

「あなたは分析力がありますね！」すごく良いことだけど、多くの分析力はAIの方が得意な場合が多いです。今のところ人間しかできないのは水平思考。その基本が書かれているので、とても気に入っています。

Grand livre sur la pensée hors des chemins habituels, ce livre vous apporteras beaucoup sur les façons de reflechir 'out of the box', conseillé

It can change your perception, if you let it by practicing

Great read.

Libro fantastico. Lo avevo in passato e l'ho perso, ma l'ho ricomprato per rileggerlo. Un must per chi vuole rivoluzionare il suo modo di pensare!