The pioneer of “Lateral Thinking”, Dr.Edward De Bono in his book titled “Practical Thinking” identifies 4 ways to be right, 5 ways to be wrong and 5 ways in which to develop a perspective of understanding. All his outcomes are a direct result of, and consequential to a simple experiment called “The Black Cylinder Experiment”. In the Black Cylinder Experiment, a cylinder that has been placed on a table falls down. The participants to the experiment are asked to provide their reasons triggering the fall of the cylinder.
Based on the responses collated and a cognitive analysis of such responses, De Bono arrives at four practical ways of being correct:
Currant Cake (Emotional Rightness);
Jigsaw Puzzles(Logical Rightness);
Village Venus (Unique Rightness); and
Measles (Recognition Rightness)
He also lays out a practical guide for employing the four “rightness” paths towards developing a more holistic and practical perspective of “thinking”
“Practical Thinking” – Thought Provoking
