Lateral Thinking
A Textbook of Creativity
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3.4 • 8 Ratings
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
THE classic work about improving creativity from world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono.
In schools we are taught to meet problems head-on: what Edward de Bono calls 'vertical thinking'. This works well in simple situations - but we are at a loss when this approach fails. What then?
Lateral thinking is all about freeing up your imagination. Through a series of special techniques, in groups or working alone, Edward de Bono shows how to stimulate the mind in new and exciting ways.
Soon you will be looking at problems from a variety of angles and offering up solutions that are as ingenious as they are effective. You will become much more productive and a formidable thinker in your own right.
'If more bankers and traders had read Lateral Thinking and applied the ideas of Edward de Bono to their own narrow definitions of risk, reward and human expectations, I suspect we would be in much better shape than we are'Sir Richard Branson
Edward de Bono invented the concept of lateral thinking. A world-renowned writer and philosopher, he is the leading authority in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill.
Dr de Bono has written more than 60 books, in 40 languages, with people now teaching his methods worldwide. He has chaired a special summit of Nobel Prize laureates, and been hailed as one of the 250 people who have contributed most to mankind.
Dr de Bono's titles include classic bestsellers such as Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, I Am Right You Are Wrong, Teach Yourself How To Think, Teach Your Child How To Think, and Simplicity - all now re-issued by Penguin.
www.edwdebono.com
Customer Reviews
Interesting however a slight disappointment.
These are my main thoughts on the book and experience as a whole.
1. The information and techniques mentioned are interesting and I will revisit this book to try techniques individually. The author directly says that this is not a book to be read straight through but rather a manual to be referred to on occasion.
2. There are a shocking amount of spelling errors. Not 1 or 2 or even 10. There are hundreds of spelling mistakes and a lack of punctuation throughout. Is this on purpose, I'm not sure but it's incredibly frustrating having to guess a mistyped word and therefore difficult to take the material seriously.
3. There is a great deal of repetition in the book which the author forewarned but this doesn't seem to make it any more justified. The terms 'pattern of mind, insight restructuring and lateral thinking' are repeated so many times it sometimes feels that the same page is being read again and again.
In conclusion, I was looking for material that would help me very quickly use lateral thinking. While this book certainly offers useful techniques to use lateral thinking it seems that its effectiveness is within the reader to make use of the techniques offered. After one read, I feel the techniques shown are vague in my mind (as the author specifically predicts) and therefore repeat reads are necessary as well as serious application in order to create the 'habit of mind'. I would most likely not recommend this book to a friend however it is not a bad book and perhaps with serious dedication to applying its lessons, can lead to great results.
An essential reference
As a design lecturer I often refer to this book as a great little resource to 'cherry-pick' lessons to help open the minds of young creatives. I hear mixed reviews about this book and I understand why. As a student I found this book difficult to interpret. Now, years later (and after practising in the creative industries) I find this book to be a useful addition to my bookshelf and one that I regularly visit (in the lecturing capacity). De Bono's methods are simple and well explained and incredibly quick to deliver as small workshops to students. I personally don't think this book is for anyone looking to practise lateral thinking instantly, after years of teaching design I know some people interpret things in different ways. Some people think in a far more complex way and this often clashes with de Bono's simplistic processes. It's a great book! But having some basic understanding of creative thinking is essential in my opinion.