Lateral Thinking

This could be a very useful book for teachers and non-teachers alike. Dr. DeBono does not claim to be able to turn us all into Miltons, Davincis, and Einsteinsbut his techniques provide an alternative to just sitting around waiting for the Muse to appear. The Muse never appears to most of ushence the value of this book. David Cohen, Times Educational SupplementThe first practical explanation of how creativity works, this results-oriented bestseller trains listeners to move beyond a vertical mode of thought to tap the potential of lateral thinkingThe underlying argument of the book is that there are two kinds of thinkingvertical and lateral. Most of us are educated to think vertically, to go from one logical step to the next, moving all the time towards the one correct solution of our problem. We are not usually educated to be creative, to generate idea after idea.Dr. DeBono argues that the function of vertical, logical thinking is to argue what is wrong. It is a very useful way of thinking, but it is not the only useful way. To claim it is, is the sort of intellectual arrogance that makes creative thinking unlikely.