further forward, you could lounge and watch television. If the back was
moved further forward still, you could sit and eat cucumber sandwiches. That is a new design for a sofa, and the whole process took 10 seconds from a random starting point.
SUMMARY: THE FORMAL TOOLS OF LATERAL THINKING
So the reason why creativity (idea creativity) has remained a mystery, and the reason why we have never developed these practical and formal tools for generating ideas, is that the word games of philosophy could never understand the asymmetric patterning behaviour of a self-organising information system like the human brain. Whenever I am talking to mathematicians or physicists, they fully understand the process.
New ideas are an essential part of thinking in every culture. We need new ideas for problem solving, for design, for invention and for simplifying things. We need new ideas for conflict resolution and designing the way forward. Relying on chance for new ideas is not very effective and not a sensible policy at all.
To do all this, we need tools and a structure as a key. Now that I have provided such tools – which have been tested over many years – there is the need for the will to use them.
3Judgement Not Design
You can analyse the past but you have to design the future.
The whole emphasis of our intellectual culture and education is on judgement and analysis. Design is almost totally neglected.
The reason for this is that the thinking of the GG3 (Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) was totally judgement-based. Furthermore, theChurch at the Renaissance needed judgement but had absolutely no use for design.
If you are going to be an architect, a graphic designer or a clothes designer you may get some education in design – but not otherwise. Yet design is fundamental to the thinking of everyone.
Design is putting together what we have in order to deliver the values we want. Judgement seeks the truth and makes decisions based on the past. Design seeks value and designs for the future.
Nothing I write here is intended to attack or diminish
the importance of judgement. That would be absurd. What I am insisting upon is that we introduce more design into our thinking and our education.
Judgement is concerned with 'what is'. Design is concerned with 'what could be'.
JUDGEMENT AND RECOGNITION
A doctor is in his clinic. A child is brought in with a rash. The doctor thinks of possibilities: food allergy, sunburn, measles, scarlet fever. The doctor then takes the child's history from the mother and examines the child. The doctor may do some additional tests.
In the end, measles is diagnosed. As soon as the diagnosis is made, the doctor can explain the progression of the illness to the mother. The doctor knows the probable course of the illness and the possible complications. Above all, the doctor knows the standard treatment.
That is the model for 100 per cent of education and 95 per cent of daily thinking.
Analyse the situation. Identify standard elements. Apply the standard answers. Education and training is all about identifying the standard elements and knowing the standard answers.
With judgement you come to an idea and then you judge it. You accept the idea or you reject it. For most parts of our life, judgement is essential and extremely
useful. The judgement of recognition allows us to make rapid use of past experience and also the experience of others. The judgement of assessment prevents us from making mistakes. Without judgement, it would be difficult to exist. So it is hardly surprising that we have put all the emphasis on truth and judgement.
Is there anything wrong with this model? No. On the contrary, it is very practical and effective. But it is not enough. Instead of accepting or rejecting an idea you look at the idea in order to 'see where you can move to'. This puts a very different sort of usefulness on ideas. We need much more emphasis on design – for everyone.
THE DOG EXERCISE MACHINE
In an education
moved further forward still, you could sit and eat cucumber sandwiches. That is a new design for a sofa, and the whole process took 10 seconds from a random starting point.
SUMMARY: THE FORMAL TOOLS OF LATERAL THINKING
So the reason why creativity (idea creativity) has remained a mystery, and the reason why we have never developed these practical and formal tools for generating ideas, is that the word games of philosophy could never understand the asymmetric patterning behaviour of a self-organising information system like the human brain. Whenever I am talking to mathematicians or physicists, they fully understand the process.
New ideas are an essential part of thinking in every culture. We need new ideas for problem solving, for design, for invention and for simplifying things. We need new ideas for conflict resolution and designing the way forward. Relying on chance for new ideas is not very effective and not a sensible policy at all.
To do all this, we need tools and a structure as a key. Now that I have provided such tools – which have been tested over many years – there is the need for the will to use them.
3Judgement Not Design
You can analyse the past but you have to design the future.
The whole emphasis of our intellectual culture and education is on judgement and analysis. Design is almost totally neglected.
The reason for this is that the thinking of the GG3 (Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) was totally judgement-based. Furthermore, theChurch at the Renaissance needed judgement but had absolutely no use for design.
If you are going to be an architect, a graphic designer or a clothes designer you may get some education in design – but not otherwise. Yet design is fundamental to the thinking of everyone.
Design is putting together what we have in order to deliver the values we want. Judgement seeks the truth and makes decisions based on the past. Design seeks value and designs for the future.
Nothing I write here is intended to attack or diminish
the importance of judgement. That would be absurd. What I am insisting upon is that we introduce more design into our thinking and our education.
Judgement is concerned with 'what is'. Design is concerned with 'what could be'.
JUDGEMENT AND RECOGNITION
A doctor is in his clinic. A child is brought in with a rash. The doctor thinks of possibilities: food allergy, sunburn, measles, scarlet fever. The doctor then takes the child's history from the mother and examines the child. The doctor may do some additional tests.
In the end, measles is diagnosed. As soon as the diagnosis is made, the doctor can explain the progression of the illness to the mother. The doctor knows the probable course of the illness and the possible complications. Above all, the doctor knows the standard treatment.
That is the model for 100 per cent of education and 95 per cent of daily thinking.
Analyse the situation. Identify standard elements. Apply the standard answers. Education and training is all about identifying the standard elements and knowing the standard answers.
With judgement you come to an idea and then you judge it. You accept the idea or you reject it. For most parts of our life, judgement is essential and extremely
useful. The judgement of recognition allows us to make rapid use of past experience and also the experience of others. The judgement of assessment prevents us from making mistakes. Without judgement, it would be difficult to exist. So it is hardly surprising that we have put all the emphasis on truth and judgement.
Is there anything wrong with this model? No. On the contrary, it is very practical and effective. But it is not enough. Instead of accepting or rejecting an idea you look at the idea in order to 'see where you can move to'. This puts a very different sort of usefulness on ideas. We need much more emphasis on design – for everyone.
THE DOG EXERCISE MACHINE
In an education
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