Do the interpretations in #51 and #52 based on the attachment, sum up the difference in mind-set between vertical and lateral thinking. The former being the kind of thinking that perhaps older generations were taught, involving strict guidelines and logic favoured by education authorities of certainly the 50 and 60s and what Edward de Bono termed lateral thinking which may be there in most if not all of us when we are kids but which was often "educated" out of us as we grew up?
de Bono gives a great example of this in one of his books. He presents primary school children and aeronautical engineers the same problem to solve involving the next generation of super airliners. Apparently in a jumbo jet the cockpit is already so far off the ground that landing the plane safely but manually is exceedingly difficult and anything bigger might be near impossible.
The engineers turn their attention to forms of complex mini radar to feedback to the pilot how close his wheels are to the ground. Quite complicated, expensive and subject to possible failure with dire consequences.
He gives the same problem to a bunch of kids. Many just sit there with no idea or come up with the usual fanciful notions that kids produce. One kid however starts to draw something and de Bono goes across to see what he is doing. He has crudely drawn the nose of the jet and underneath the nose there is a small bubble. When de Bono asks what the bubble is the kid says that is where the pilot sits so he is much closer to the ground now and can easily land by sight without any assistance
He then presents this to the engineers and from initial chuckles at a kid's efforts it quickly dawns on them that in fact there is no reason why the cockpit has to be on top.
I thought that a good example of how conventional education tends to eliminate lateral thinking from out of the minds of most of us and perhaps even more so from those who then become armies of skilled engineers
pentaxuser
de Bono gives a great example of this in one of his books. He presents primary school children and aeronautical engineers the same problem to solve involving the next generation of super airliners. Apparently in a jumbo jet the cockpit is already so far off the ground that landing the plane safely but manually is exceedingly difficult and anything bigger might be near impossible.
The engineers turn their attention to forms of complex mini radar to feedback to the pilot how close his wheels are to the ground. Quite complicated, expensive and subject to possible failure with dire consequences.
He gives the same problem to a bunch of kids. Many just sit there with no idea or come up with the usual fanciful notions that kids produce. One kid however starts to draw something and de Bono goes across to see what he is doing. He has crudely drawn the nose of the jet and underneath the nose there is a small bubble. When de Bono asks what the bubble is the kid says that is where the pilot sits so he is much closer to the ground now and can easily land by sight without any assistance
He then presents this to the engineers and from initial chuckles at a kid's efforts it quickly dawns on them that in fact there is no reason why the cockpit has to be on top.
I thought that a good example of how conventional education tends to eliminate lateral thinking from out of the minds of most of us and perhaps even more so from those who then become armies of skilled engineers
pentaxuser
