Thoughts On Lateral Thought

Lateral thought solves problems by using a creative and indirect approach. It makes use of reasoning that is not obvious and cannot be obtained by using traditional logic.

02:12:45
“Lateral thought, or lateral thinking is thinking in a creative non-linear manner.”

02:14:33
“Reasoning that is not immediately obvious is a part of lateral thought.”

02:16:07
“Lateral thinking results in ideas that may not be obtainable by merely using conventional logic [in a usual step-by-step method].”

02:19:41
“The shifting of thinking patterns away from things that are predictable.”

02:21:42
“A shift to new ideas and unexpected ideas results from lateral thought.”

02:24:15
“Critical thinking is concerned with the discovery of errors.”

02:25:55
Lateral thinking is the movement of ideas.”

02:27:17
“Lateral thought moves from one known idea to the creation of many new and unexpected ideas.”

02:30:01
“Critical thinking happens in hindsight. Lateral thinking is pure foresight.”

02:32:01
“There is no excuse for writer’s block.”

02:33:07
“There is no excuse for creative block.”

02:40:01
“Period.”

There are a number of ways to promote and achieve a lateral thought process. The most prominent of these lateral thought techniques are as follows:

Random Association
Choose a random object or a random noun from the dictionary. Then, associate with the idea you are thinking about.

Provocation
Decide that usual perceptions are off-limits or create a provocative alternative to the situation under study.

Challenge
Very simply, directly challenge the way things have been done or seen before — challenge the way things are.

These are just three of the many ways used to induce lateral thought into a process.  All lateral thought tools are practical in situations where normal perceptions and thought patterns keep us “trapped in the box”. Undoubtedly, the person who coined the phrase “think outside the box” was a lateral thinker.