lateral thinking

lateral thinking
Popular term for a creative, imaginative approach to problem-solving that changes one's perceptions and conception of a problem, allegedly contrasted with ‘linear’ or ‘logical’ thinking. The contrast is misleading, in that logic does not tell you how to think, but only how to avoid inconsistency. See also laws of thought.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

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  • Lateral thinking — is a term coined by Edward de Bono, a Maltese psychologist, physician and writer. It first appeared in the title of his book The Use of Lateral Thinking , published in 1967. De Bono defines lateral thinking as methods of thinking concerned with… …   Wikipedia

  • lateral thinking — UK US noun [U] ► the process of considering a problem in a different and original way, rather than following traditional or expected ideas: »After a little lateral thinking, we solved the problem by starting again …   Financial and business terms

  • lateral thinking — n [U] a way of thinking in which you use your imagination to see relationships between things that are not normally thought of together …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • lateral thinking — noun uncount a way of solving a problem in which you use your imagination to try to think about it in a different or unusual way …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • lateral thinking — ► NOUN chiefly Brit. ▪ the solving of problems by an indirect and creative approach …   English terms dictionary

  • lateral thinking — noun a heuristic for solving problems; you try to look at the problem from many angles instead of tackling it head on • Hypernyms: ↑heuristic, ↑heuristic rule, ↑heuristic program * * * noun : thinking that is not deductive * * * lateral thinking… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lateral thinking — /ˌlæt(ə)rəl θɪŋkɪŋ/ noun an imaginative approach to problem solving which involves changing established patterns of thinking to help make a breakthrough ● Lateral thinking resulted in finding a completely new use for an existing product. ●… …   Marketing dictionary in english

  • lateral thinking — N UNCOUNT Lateral thinking is a method of solving problems by using your imagination to help you think of solutions that are not obvious at first. [mainly BRIT] The holiday romance can last it just requires a bit of lateral thinking …   English dictionary

  • lateral thinking — /lætrəl ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/ (say latruhl thingking) noun a way of thinking which seeks the solution to a problem by making associations with other apparently unrelated areas, rather than by pursuing one logical train of thought. {coined in the mid 1960s by… …  

  • lateral thinking — (British) thinking that results in new or creative solutions or answers, solving problems by an approach that is indirect and creative, unconventional appraoch to solving of problems …   English contemporary dictionary

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