Think! (3 page)

As above, we can represent a pattern by a path, since at every next step the highest probability is to move along the path rather than stop and consider every side track. Point A is at the beginning of the path towards point B; point C is at the end of a side track. All this means is that the route from A to C is not the same as the route from C to A. You can go from A to C (you follow the usual routine or path towards B and in a roundabout way you come round to the other end of the side track, i.e. C) whereas, if you were to enter the side track from another point at point C, route C to A is very straightforward (you go straight down the side track to the main path or route).

Consider instead that the main path from point A then narrowed to a point D. The narrowing of the track means that, while going from A to D is difficult, the reverse is not so difficult. Then the path from A to B is wide open in comparison so the possibility of taking the track to D is remote.

This asymmetry is the logical basis for both
humour and
creativity.

Humour is by far the most significant behaviour of the human brain, far more significant than reason. Humour tells us more about the underlying system. Humour tells us that the brain makes
asymmetric patterns.

In humour, we are led along the main path from A and then suddenly we are shifted to the end of the side path (B) and immediately we see the track we might have taken (from B to A). Once there, we can see that it actually makes sense and is perfectly logical.

For example, an old man of 90 goes down to hell. Wandering around, he sees a friend of his of a similar age. Sitting on the knee of this friend is a beautiful young blonde.

He says to his friend: 'Are you sure this is hell? You seem to be having rather a good time!'

The friend replies: 'It is hell all right. I am the punishment for her.'

The explanation is perfectly logical but reverses the situation completely. That is the surprise of humour.

An Englishman on a railway station in Ireland storms into the stationmaster's office to complain that on the platform there are two clocks each showing a different time.

The stationmaster looks at him and says: 'To be sure, and what would be the use of having two clocks if they showed the same time?' There is an unexpected logic in the reply. It is the surprise element of suddenly switching perceptions that makes us laugh.

Two blondes are walking along a canal, one on each side of the canal. One blonde calls out to the other, 'How do I get to the other side?' The other blonde replies, 'But you are already on the other side.'

Humour derives part of its effect by bringing in various prejudices and preconceptions.

Returning to my seat on an aeroplane I hit my head on the overhead luggage locker. The person next to me said, 'I also hit my head on that locker. It must be too low.'

'On the contrary,' I said, 'the trouble is that the locker is placed too high, not too low.'

There is nothing humorous about this exchange but there is the same sudden switch in perception, which eventually makes sense. If the luggage locker were placed really low, you would realise you must duck your head. If the locker were placed really high, it would not matter whether you ducked or not. If the locker is placed at a level that suggests you do not need to duck, you do not duck and you hit your head.

The humour model of the asymmetric pattern is also the model for creativity. You suddenly see something differently and it makes sense in hindsight.

All valuable creative ideas will be logical in hindsight. In a sense, the definition of 'valuable' means logical in hindsight.

For the first time in human history we have a logical basis for creativity. Creativity is no longer a mysterious gift or special talent. We can now see creativity as the behaviour of a
self-organising information system that makes asymmetric patterns (the brain).

Once we can understand the underlying system, then we can design tools for the deliberate use of creativity. These tools can be very powerful. It need no longer be a matter of sitting and waiting for ideas and inspiration. We can do certain things that will result in the brain having new ideas. This is a big step forwards in the history of mankind.

Being without this for 2,400 years has caused immense problems and explains why we have done nothing about creativity.

If an idea is 'logical' in hindsight, then we claim that it could have been obtained by 'logic' in the first place. So we do not need creativity because all such ideas should have been reached by logic.

This is complete and perfect nonsense. In an asymmetric system what is obvious and logical in hindsight may be inaccessible in foresight.

Because philosophers have been playing with words and not considered self-organising pattern-making systems they have not been able to see that obvious in hindsight is not at all obvious in foresight. That is why we have done nothing about creativity.

This was the tool that generated over 20,000 new ideas for a steel company in a single afternoon from a workshop. I have chosen this lateral thinking tool first for a number of reasons.

1. It seems totally illogical and unlikely to work.
2. It may be the easiest of the tools to use.
3. It is very powerful.
4. It is actually totally logical.

Process

You have your focus. You know where you want to generate new ideas.

You then obtain a 'random word'. Nouns are easiest to use, so use a noun. You can obtain your random word in several ways.

You may keep a list of 60 words on a card in your pocket. You then glance at your watch. If the second hand shows 27 seconds, you select word number 27 from your list.

You could also choose a page number in a dictionary and then specify the tenth (or other) word down on that page. You continue downwards until you come to a noun. You could do this with any book with a page and line number.

You could put words written on slips of paper into a bag and then pick one out.

You could close your eyes and stab your finger at a page of a newspaper or book. You take the word nearest to your finger.

All of these are practical ways of obtaining a random word. Once you have your random word, you then use this random word to generate ideas about the subject. This is a mental operation called 'movement' and quite different from 'judgement', which I describe elsewhere. The task is to use the random word to open up new lines of thinking. It is not a matter of finding a connection between the random word and the subject.

Logic

At first sight the process seems totally illogical. The essence of logic is that what comes next is relevant and
related to what is being considered. With the random word technique, what comes next is completely irrelevant and unrelated.

If a random word is truly random then it will be equally related to any possible focus. Indeed, any random word will be related to any focus. Logicians would point out that this is complete nonsense. Yet it is totally logical – in the universe of asymmetric patterning systems. I shall explain the logic in more detail elsewhere, but here is a simple explanation.

You live in a small town and when you leave home you always take the main road, which satisfies your travel needs. There are many side roads that you ignore. One day your car breaks down on the outskirts of the town and you have to walk home. You ask around for instructions. You find yourself arriving home by a route you have never taken before. You note that this is a much better way of getting to your favourite restaurant. The logic is simple. If you start from the centre, your path is determined by the pattern probabilities at that point – so you take the familiar route. If you have a different starting point at the periphery and make your way to the centre you open up a new route.

Shaping

Shaping is a broad term, which covers influencing, changing, concept transfer, effect, etc.

You are trying to get some new ideas for a restaurant. You use the random-word technique. The word is 'cinema'.

The shaping could be very direct. Diners could order a DVD player and earphones and watch a movie as they ate. Some couples have more need to eat than to talk.

The shaping could be more indirect. Cinemas are usually in darkness. So a rather dark restaurant where you might appreciate more the taste of the food. And it would not matter who you were with as no one could see. From that we could move on to a very discreet restaurant where each couple had its own private cubicle.

Cinemas have set times to show a movie. Maybe a restaurant could have different menus at different times so you chose your time according to the menu you preferred.

How might the word 'bible' shape 'exams'?

The bible is unchanging so perhaps the questions in an exam would always be the same. Each question, however, would be designed to test the candidates' knowledge of the subject.

The bible is about 'truth'. So perhaps exams would allow candidates to reply in two distinct ways. There would be the 'truth reply' and then there would be the 'speculative reply' signalled as such.

Considering asymmetry it is easy to see why the lateral thinking 'random word' tool works.

The random word comes in from direction C. This has two effects. The first is that the dominance of the A to B path is avoided. The second is that the new direction of C is opened up.

The random word is not the idea itself. The random word is not itself 'C'. The random word opens up the path, which can lead to the idea at C.

So the random word is a perfectly logical procedure in the universe of asymmetric patterns.

Lateral thinking implies moving sideways and changing perceptions, concepts, starting points, etc., instead of just working harder with the existing ones. In the tennis example in Chapter 4, you shift attention from the winner to the losers to get out of the usual line of thought.

In another example, Granny is sitting knitting. Susan, who is three years old, is upsetting Granny by playing with her ball of wool. One parent suggests that Susan should be put in the playpen to prevent her from annoying Granny. The other parent suggests that Granny should be put in the playpen to protect her from Susan.

On a more technical level, the asymmetry example shows that lateral thinking implies moving across patterns instead of just along them. So we move laterally from the main path to the end of the side track. Once found, it will be logical in hindsight.

Exercise

Four focus subjects are given below, along with a list of 60 random words. Obtain a random word for each. Tackle the different subjects on different occasions – not all at once.

Focus:
A new television show
A new type of sport
A new idea for a motor car
A new idea for an Internet business

Random words

Look at the second hand of your watch to determine which numbered random word to use.

In creativity, the process is the same as with humour. We suddenly see something differently, move laterally to the side track and find that in hindsight it makes complete sense. But how do we get to the 'idea point' on the side track? That is precisely where the
techniques of provocation come in. They are methods of helping us to escape from the main track in order to increase our chances of getting to the side track – the 'lateral' of lateral thinking refers to moving sideways across the patterns instead of moving along them as in normal thinking.

Using lateral thinking, I put forward a provocation. I invented the word 'po' to signal that what followed was intended as a provocation. 'Po' could mean (P)rovocative (O)peration. What followed was to be used for its 'movement' value, not for its 'judgement' value. The provocations may be totally unreasonable. With provocation,
we can be temporarily 'mad' for just 30 seconds at a time in a controllable fashion. Judgement would have to reject such ideas as nonsense.
Movement can move on from such ideas to useful new ideas, which is why provocation is such a fundamental aspect of lateral thinking and creativity in general.