Lateral Thinking
Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box, it involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic. The cutting of the Gordian Knot is a classical example.
The term was first used in 1967 by Maltese psychologist Edward de Bono who used the Judgement of Solomon, the Nine Dots Puzzle, and the sewing machine (automating the work rather than adding more workers) as examples, among many others, of lateral thinking.
Lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from Vertical Thinking, the traditional method for problem solving.
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.
Critics have characterized lateral thinking as a pseudo-scientific concept, arguing de Bono's core ideas have never been rigorously tested or corroborated.
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