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Lateral thinking
open-in-new
<p>Lateral thinking is a manner of <a href="/facts/Problem_solving/9cuLz5pH">solving problems</a> using an indirect and <a href="/facts/Creativity/8sNGv9no">creative</a> approach via <a href="/facts/Reasoning/tcBImN8J">reasoning</a> that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to <a href="/facts/Thinking_outside_the_box/6CF7TYsU">thinking outside the box</a>, it involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step <a href="/facts/Logic/8JnpJLtt">logic</a>. The cutting of the <a href="/facts/Gordian_Knot/CHR97RWg">Gordian Knot</a> is a classical example. </p><p>The term was first used in 1967 by Maltese psychologist <a href="/facts/Edward_de_Bono/PTdEKoka">Edward de Bono</a> who used the <a href="/facts/Judgement_of_Solomon/XMJaBDS9">Judgement of Solomon</a>, the <a href="/facts/Nine_dots_puzzle/6CF7TYsU">Nine Dots Puzzle</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Sewing_machine/dGsA53Tv">sewing machine</a> (automating the work rather than adding more workers) as examples, among many others, of lateral thinking. </p><p>Lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from <a href="/facts/Vertical_Thinking/ua6NocYv">Vertical Thinking</a>, the traditional method for problem solving. </p> Vertical versus Lateral Thinking <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><table><tbody><tr><th></th><th>Vertical Thinking</th><th>Lateral Thinking</th></tr><tr><td>linear</td><td>yes</td><td>no</td></tr><tr><td>pattern</td><td>develop an existing pattern</td><td>restructure an existing pattern</td></tr><tr><td>direction</td><td>stepwise and methodical</td><td>multidirectional and creative</td></tr><tr><td>uncertainty tolerated</td><td>no</td><td>yes</td></tr><tr><td>rewards for</td><td>depth of knowledge</td><td>breadth of knowledge</td></tr><tr><td>restricted by relevant information</td><td>yes</td><td>no</td></tr><tr><td>novel approaches welcomed</td><td>no</td><td>yes</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>De Bono argues lateral thinking entails a switch-over from a familiar pattern to a new, unexpected one. Such insight sometimes takes the form of humour but can also be cultivated. </p><p>Critics have characterized lateral thinking as a <a href="/facts/Pseudo-science/kdNzoLeS">pseudo-scientific</a> concept, arguing de Bono's core ideas have never been rigorously tested or corroborated. </p>