Welcome to Lateral Thinking

TL;DR: help brain have new ideas. Subscribe make and keep brain smart.

Lateral thinking is not new. However, the analysis and study of it is. If you want to get technical, the term was initially coined by Edward de Bono (baller name, by the way) in his book called The Use of Lateral Thinking.

It’s a great way to get started on the core concept of lateral thinking, however, the book mostly covers lateral thinking from a business perspective. How to approach problem solving in a new and innovative way and find solutions your competitors will not think of.

I can’t recommend it enough, however, my musings are not related to the book or to the business concept of lateral thinking. I’ve worked in advertising agencies and seen it both glorified and vilified. Just like any tool, it’s not inherently good or bad.

This… is more of an exercise of going outside the train of thought we get blasted with in social media and through traditional media. Depending on our preference, we all see mostly one side of the story. Platforms tend to show you opinions you will agree with so they keep the dopamine flowing and you’ll spend more time (and view more ads).

What you’ll see:

• One or two fun lateral thinking exercises, just to get warmed up (you can find plenty of these online)

For example, a person living on the 26th floor always takes the elevator up to the 20th floor and takes the stairs for the remaining 6th floors when it’s sunny outside. When it’s raining, they take the elevator straight to the 26th floor. Why?

(see the answer on the bottom and please note there’s no right or wrong response, it’s an exercise in alternative problem solving)

• A different take on a popular issue

I might or might not agree with the side/angle I’m arguing for. This is not political or social commentary, the point is to purely break free from the popular opinion, which feels right, but misses the point more often than you’d expect.

What you won’t see:

• Commentary based on pure personal opinion - this is not the place for this and if you’re insulted by any of the topics/subjects I approach, you are more than welcome to unsubscribe

• Popular opinions - if everyone agrees on a subject, it means it’s not a good example of lateral thinking

• Engaging in commentary meant purely to infuriate or insult a certain category - this is a thought exercise meant to inspire people, not put them down

Once again, welcome. I started this as a personal experience of eliminating bias, it’s a bit frightening to be “thinking in public” like this, but I hope you enjoy it. If you do, sharing it is always appreciated.

Answer: the person is a midget who can’t reach the button for the 26th floor. However, when it rains, he has an umbrella with him that helps him reach it.