Classic de Bono: …the creative idea is logical in hindsight..

Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights.

Every valued creative idea will always be logical in hindsight. If not, we should be unable to recognise the value. The idea would be a ‘crazy idea’. Perhaps it would be crazy forever or only until the paradigm changed. We should have no way of knowing. As the creative idea is logical in hindsight we have always maintained that it should be equally accessible to logic in foresight. Thus we argued that creativity is only necessary where there is poor logic. This claim is rubbish based on the failure to understand the difference between externally organised information systems and self-organising systems with their inevitable asymmetry. What chance does an ant on the trunk of a tree have of reaching a specified leaf? At every branch the chances diminish. In an average tree the chances are one in eight thousand. Now if we have an ant sitting on a leaf what are the chances of reaching the trunk of the tree? There is no forward branching in the journey so the chances are one hundred per cent. It is exactly the same with creative ideas. Once the idea has been reached then it is logical and obvious in hindsight. But reaching the idea is a different matter. Like so many other matters this is just one example of using the wrong information universe. Visitors are asked to suggest other examples of this type of asymmetry. (email: edwdebono@msn.com subject: Asymmetry). Edward de Bono
, March 1999 About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills. Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages. Holst is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe. Click here for more information about Dr de Bono and his tools. Would you like to change how people think? Consider adding Dr Edward de Bono’s tools to your portfolio and become an accredited de Bono trainer.  ]]>