PO: There is no difference between lateral thinking and critical thinking

Add a Comment

Comment by jf on January 25, 2012 at 8:48

Clear, moreover, if there no difference appears absurd to design a new thought.

Comment by LoL on January 25, 2012 at 0:03

I think there is a definite difference

They are both subsets of Thinking, but ... just as Blue Hat and White Hat thinking are functionally different ... so are Black Hat and Green Hat thinking.

I think it's a mistake to class the different types of thinking exemplified by the different hats as lateral thinking

Black Hat thinking seems more akin to Yellow Hat Thinking than to lateral thinking per se, which seems more like Green Hat thinking

Comment by Gijs van Beeck Calkoen on July 15, 2009 at 17:43

I will suggest an Area Focus: Critical Thinking.

In other words: could we design some new ideas in the broad area of critical thinking?

Comment by Ali Sumner on July 15, 2009 at 16:29

I would love to contribute some new ideas from my PO: a lateral thinker is a better critical thinker however I am finding it very difficult to start generating ideas with this PO as I am so used to having a FOCUS for my thinking - either an Area Focus or a Purpose Focus - as per Edward's discussion that "Focus is a very important part of creativity. Focus is a much more important part of creativity than most creative people realize. Some creative people pretend not to believe in focus and just want to scatter ideas around as they occur" (E. de Bono 1992 Serious Creativity p.91) and "We are all very creative. Now what shall we be creative about?. Focus is a very important part of applied creativity. Where do we want new ideas? If you cannot define your focus, you cannot generate ideas deliverately." (E. de Bono 2009 Think! Before It's Too Latep.47) ... so Gijs can you provide an Area Focus or Purpose Focus so I can generate some new ideas with your suggested PO ... either in an area you would like them (Area Focus) or aligned with the thinking you would like to be achieved (Purpose Focus) ... cheers Ali

Comment by Franis on July 12, 2009 at 1:36

Well, the black hat, i.e: critical thinking, is part of lateral thinking and is indispensable in certain part of the sequence of problem solving. But only a part. Perhaps you are using the idea of "critical" thinking more as a general billboard term than we might think of its definition?

My question is HOW does this sort of thinking attempt to find assumptions? Critical thinking doesn't include any useful means to uncover assumptions, only the Will-To-Do it and some goofy examples that make sense after they are revealed, but don't show any useful way to make this happen on the front end. Thus, hindsight is 20-20.

Perhaps this statement of mine comes from the idea of critical - meaning, criticism: to pick apart in the sense of to judge and determine value before the thinking has been done. Because determining what is "inconsistent" deals with having a standard ready-made to declassify what is not "consistent". This implies that there IS a standard (internally or culturally or externally) already in existence, possibly based on priority, values or preferences. (Sometimes using these uncovers such a thing as in Key Values Involved.) Sometimes there exists not yet any of these standards yet, or the standard is an assumption that has yet to be uncovered. So in these cases, critical thinking is not the appropriate thinking activity, because, in this critical thinking activity, you are matching what you already have defined is "reasonable."

Deductive thinking is another certain "operation", as in the word "operative action." The weakness in deductive thinking is...what you need to imagine that must be happening after you reduce all the other less likely factors. So if there is a lack of imagination...which is pretty easy to have if you have just been wearing the rather security oriented and fault-finding black hat.

I see the most interesting part of lateral thinking that isn't included in critical thinking, it is the "what if" part of it - the green hat, the "movement" part of lateral thinking that supposes that the PO is true - and makes perhaps moment to moment observations based on taking this "supposed truth" for granted.

So let's do that, as you asked: "PO: Lateral thinking and Critical thinking are ONE." -
You'd have black (hat) humor about things which do and don't match. Meaning, morose, negative humor about what is wrong with the world.