Book SummaryLateral Thinking, by Edward de Bono

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Lateral Thinking

For centuries, logical and analytical thinking has been the cornerstone of problem-solving methodology. While this approach has led to remarkable achievements in science, mathematics, and technology, it sometimes fails to address challenges that require creative breakthroughs or novel solutions. In Lateral Thinking (1970), Edward de Bono shows us how to move beyond the limitations of traditional “vertical” thinking to embrace more creative and unconventional thought patterns. He presents lateral thinking not as a replacement for logical thinking, but as a complementary tool that enables us to view problems from new perspectives.

De Bono (1933-2021) was a Maltese physician and scholar with advanced degrees in medicine, psychology, and physiology. He...

Lateral Thinking Summary What Is Lateral Thinking?

To understand lateral thinking, we first need to define vertical thinking. De Bono explains that vertical thinking is a logical, step-by-step process of reasoning based on established patterns of thought. It’s focused on a specific objective—something to be “figured out”—and concerned with finding the best or most correct option. In contrast, lateral thinking is an exploratory process that challenges established patterns of thought and focuses on coming up with many ideas, even after finding a workable solution.

In vertical thinking, each step must follow logically from the previous one, and each step must be correct. Lateral thinking, however, can jump to a potential solution and then work backward to fill in the gaps. It allows for temporary incorrectness as long as the final result is valid. Lateral thinking is particularly useful for coming up with new ideas and solving problems that require you to challenge existing assumptions or functional-but-not-ideal solutions (as opposed to problems that simply require more information, for which vertical thinking is better suited).

Lateral thinking lets you avoid inflexible thinking or being dismissive toward alternate ways...

Lateral Thinking Summary How the Mind Processes Information

We’ve defined lateral thinking and explained how it differs from vertical thinking. Next we’ll look at how the brain creates patterns from information and how lateral thinking plays into that process.

De Bono explains that the human mind operates by generating and identifying patterns. It does this by creating recurring series of activity between neurons in the brain. While some patterns are innate (such as instincts), the mind’s most important capability is creating patterns. These patterns, whether right or wrong, become the basis for recognizing and responding to situations, allowing us to quickly receive and react to stimuli in our environment. For example, if an ancient human heard the sound of a rattlesnake just before encountering one, their brain would form a connection between that sound and the dangerous animal. The next time they heard the rattle, their brain would quickly tap into that pattern and alert them to the danger.

The more a pattern is used or activated, the more likely the brain is to continue to use it. This makes the system efficient, but it also makes it resistant to change. The purpose of lateral thinking is to challenge this system,...

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 1: Idea Generation

The first technique for practicing lateral thinking that de Bono describes is idea generation. Lateral thinking aims to produce as many ideas as possible rather than finding the best one, continues to generate options even after finding promising approaches, and considers even unreasonable ideas. This is because any idea, regardless of its correctness, can lead to new and better ideas. Practicing idea generation helps you cultivate cognitive flexibility, understand that there are always other options, and turn pattern-restructuring into a habit.

Purposeful Mistakes and Inaccurate Information

Other experts agree with de Bono’s argument that any idea can lead to better ideas. In The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird recommend deliberately making mistakes or bad leaps in logic to come up with better ideas.

Additionally, in Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson explains...

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 2: Challenging Established Patterns

Another way to practice lateral thinking is to challenge the patterns that we assume to be true in our thinking processes. De Bono explains that people often accept foundational ideas as valid before trying to arrange them into new patterns. However, these fundamental ideas are also patterns that warrant reexamination.

We must take many things for granted to function in daily life, writes de Bono. Our assumptions serve a purpose in pattern-making reasoning, which is to create boundaries for problem-solving. Boundaries and assumptions make it easier to reason through a problem, as they leave us with fewer factors to consider. For example, if you were trying to train yourself to be a faster runner using a treadmill, you’d likely assume that the speed sensor and clock on your treadmill are correct. Without that assumption, the boundaries for how you’ll measure your progress would become useless, and you’d have to spend time and energy finding a different way to measure them.

(Shortform note: Experts suggest that this tendency to rely on assumptions helps us conserve energy....

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 3: Thinking in Reverse

Another method de Bono describes for practicing lateral thinking is to think about things in reverse: Take a thought process and reframe it in different directions, whether that be backwards, from the inside out, or upside down. This can create unique arrangements of information, and it can also help you get started on an open-ended problem, especially those requiring a lot of creativity. The goal is to break free from the standard way of viewing a situation, conquer the fear of being wrong, and create provocative rearrangements of information that might lead to new insights.

For example, you may start with the following assumption: The legal system uses policing to fight crime. You could reverse it as follows: Police use the legal system to fight crime; crime fights police; crime creates police; police create crime through the legal system; the legal system creates crime for police to fight; and many more variations. While some of these may be absurd, they can still help you understand and restructure the patterns of thought that underlie the initial statement, and one of these new patterns may prove useful in solving a problem.

(Shortform note: Thinking in reverse, also...

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 4: Shifting Your Attention

Similar to the practice of thinking in reverse, de Bono also suggests that you can change your thinking patterns by focusing on different pieces of information or approaching the situation from a different angle. As explained earlier, the patterns our brains create from new information depend heavily on the sequence in which we take in that information. The patterns we use repeatedly also become dominant, so we tend to approach problems from the same familiar starting point. This means we’re often not using the information in the best way possible. To counteract this, try shifting your attention to parts of the problem that you may have overlooked or starting your reasoning from a different place than you did initially.

For example, if you’re learning about a conflict in another country, your standard approach might be to research the event that triggered the conflict, what each side says they’re fighting for, and how it impacts people today. However, to understand the situation more comprehensively, you’ll need to direct your attention to what was going on before the triggering event: Who was in power leading up to the event? What were their objectives and motivations? How...

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 5: Using Analogies

De Bono explains that an analogy is a concrete, familiar idea or story that serves as a comparison for another idea. It features some type of change, relationship, or activity that can be applied to something else. You can create an analogy for something you’re thinking about, advance the analogy to its conclusion, and then compare it to the topic you started with. The analogy doesn’t have to fit perfectly; in fact, imperfect analogies can be more valuable because the challenge of connecting them to the problem can generate new insights.

For example, say you’re a manager struggling to get your team to work together on an important project. You analogize your situation to an orchestra that can’t get their starting note right. As you follow through on the analogy, you imagine the conductor investigating by looking at the musicians’ sheet music—they find that there’s an error on some of the sheets that instructs the musicians to play at the wrong time. Returning to your own situation, you may consider that you’ve miscommunicated your expectations for what each person should be doing (even though it’s not a perfect analogy). Clarifying your expectations may then solve your...

Lateral Thinking Summary Technique 6: Random Stimulation

De Bono also recommends using random stimulation to encourage lateral thinking. This involves intentionally bringing in other ideas or information to provoke new ones. This practice is distinct from vertical thinking: While vertical thinking focuses on selecting only pertinent information, random stimulation deliberately incorporates irrelevant information to spark new patterns of thought. Random stimulation works because of the brain’s pattern-making processes. When you hold two different pieces of information in your mind at once, the brain naturally works to form associations between them, which can alter or even completely restructure its existing patterns.

(Shortform note: The reason random stimulation provokes new ideas may relate to the associative nature of our thinking: When you activate a part of the brain linked to a certain idea, other parts linked to associated ideas also activate. The more closely related the idea, the more likely it is that that brain area will activate. However, introducing random stimulation can prompt the brain to create new associations and activate different...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Lateral Thinking Techniques

De Bono argues that lateral thinking is both an attitude and a skill that can be cultivated through deliberate practice of specific techniques. This exercise will help you identify which techniques resonate most with you and create a plan for implementing them.

Think about a current challenge or decision you’re facing in your life. Briefly describe the situation and how you’ve approached it so far.