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Lateral Thinking — The problem is the frame
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Lateral Thinking
The problem is the frame
Solving a problem by questioning the rules nobody stated.
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Nine dots in a 3x3 grid. Connect them all with four straight lines without lifting the pen. Most people fail because they assume the lines must stay inside the grid. No one said that. The solution goes outside. The constraint was imagined, not real.
- Edward de Bono coined the term "lateral thinking" in 1967. It means solving problems by approaching them from an unexpected direction.
- When stuck, ask: what am I assuming that nobody told me to assume?
Sourcede Bono, Lateral Thinking (1967)
Standard cognitive psychology
Standard cognitive psychology
Keep exploring
Because you read Lateral Thinking.
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The Bystander Effect
Why nobody helps, and how to break it
The tendency of a crowd to leave the helping to somebody else.
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The OODA Loop
The decision cycle that wins
A four-step cycle for making decisions quickly under pressure.
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The Scientific Method
The loop that built the modern world
A repeating loop of question, guess, test, and honest result.
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