 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2017) |
Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic.[1]
The term was first used in 1967 by Maltese psychologist Edward de Bono in his book The Use of Lateral Thinking. De Bono cites the Judgement of Solomon as an example of lateral thinking, where ancient Monarch of Israel King Solomon resolves a dispute over the parentage of a child by calling for the child to be cut in half, and making his judgment according to the reactions that this order receives.[2]
De Bono also links lateral thinking with humour, arguing it entails a switch-over from a familiar pattern to a new, unexpected one. It is this moment of surprise, generating laughter and new insight, which facilitates the ability to see a different thought pattern which initially was not obvious.[3][better source needed]
According to de Bono, lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from the standard perception of creativity as "vertical" logic, the classic method for problem solving.
Critics have characterized lateral thinking as a pseudo-scientific concept, arguing de Bono's core ideas have never been rigorously tested or corroborated.[4]
- ^ "Oxford English Dictionary: Lateral thinking". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ Diebold, John (18 November 1968). "Snoopy or the Tiger?". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. p. 61. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Rodgers, Chris (November 2009). "Blog: The significance of humour – pattern switching and lateral thinking". Informal Coalitions.
- ^ Melechi, Antonio (11 June 2020). Weintraub, Pam (ed.). "Lateral thinking is classic pseudoscience, derivative and untested". Aeon Essays. Aeon.co.