There are a myriad of ways to solve problems in our world, and as humans, there are a lot of different methods we can use to generate ideas and find the best ways of addressing those problems. Two of these methods are lateral thinking and logical reasoning. Here are the differences between lateral thinking and logical reasoning.
Lateral thinking is a method of problem solving that emphasizes the generation of ideas in an indirect way. In contrast, logical reasoning is much more vertical in nature, beginning with the problem at hand and following a logical thought pattern to see it to its conclusion.
There are a number of differences between lateral and logical thinking, and both can be used effectively in different circumstances. Lateral thinking is generally considered to be more creative, demonstrating its value in artistic fields, while logical thinking is a good problem-solving tool.
The rest of this article will define lateral and logical thinking, discuss the differences between the two, provide examples on how they are used.
Lateral Thinking Explained
At its heart, lateral thinking is an indirect though process. It is, by definition, thinking outside the box. To think laterally, you must put aside any perceived conditions, restrictions, and patterns associated with a problem in order to look at it in a unique and creative way.
One of the oldest examples of this type of thinking is demonstrated by King Solomon, who solved a dispute over a child’s parentage by suggesting that the child be cut in half. He then based his judgement on the reactions of the two women.
While there are certainly some more traditional and logical recourses to discern who the real mother was, this method of problem-solving enabled King Solomon to frame the problem in an entirely different light and still solve it all the same.
The History of Lateral Thinking
Lateral thinking is a term coined by the Maltese psychologist Edward De Bono, who saw lateral thinking as a way of thinking outside the box. Traditionally, marketing strategies involved a very formula-oriented approach: evaluate the consumer’s need based on market trend and create a new product to fill those needs.
De Bono argued and observed that this rigid approach would inevitably lead to market fragmentation and pin the company into a niche market such that they would, over time, be unable to turn a profit.
Lateral Thinking and Business
One of the most prominent fields where lateral thinking thrives is in entrepreneurships and businesses as a whole. Companies and individual entrepreneurs need to avail lateral thinking to create new solutions to problems, all tying back to the simple question: what does the customer want?
Removing the formulaic way of thinking allows marketing strategists and creatively minded individuals to develop new methods of creative thinking, therefore discovering previously unknown ways to solve a “problem” that the consumer is facing.
After all, many businesses thrive on the simple capability to meet a consumer’s need and solve a problem; moreover, companies excel by figuring out how to better meet those needs. It’s not enough to use lateral thinking to develop a unique solution to a consumer problem.
To stay ahead of the curve, companies must continue to develop that product using lateral thinking to preempt future problems that consumers might have, whether it be creative improvements to the product or similar products serving similar purposes.
Perhaps the best part of lateral thinking is that it allows for ridiculous, nonsensical, and just plain old silly ideas to be put on the table. If nothing else, these thought exercises can encourage people in any field to consider nontraditional approaches to their careers.
Logical Reasoning Explained
In contrast to lateral thinking, logical reasoning is a method of problem solving that evaluates the rules of a scenario and evaluates the logical conclusion. As a base example, consider this thought exercise: you have a carton of 12 eggs and 12 people.
Each person receives an egg, but the carton isn’t empty. Why? Logically, this seems nonsensical since, by observation, if each person took one egg, then the carton would be empty. Lateral thinking might eventually help you realize that there is a way that the carton remains unemptied—because the last person took the carton and the egg.
It’s easy to see from this example how quickly our minds utilize logical reasoning to find solutions to problems. In this example, logical thinking constrains your understanding of the question until you think outside the box.
That’s not to say that logical thinking is an inferior method, just that logical thinking tends to be more ordered and result in a more common solution.
The Three Types of Logical Thinking
Logical thinking is a broad term for three more specific approaches to problem solving. First, deductive reasoning starts by establishing a premise and taking specific information relating to the problem to draw a conclusion.
Example: All dogs have four legs. Teddy is a dog. Therefore, Teddy has four legs.
Inductive reasoning works backwards and uses observations to draw conclusions about the world at large. In this example, you might start with the observation that Teddy is a dog and has four legs.
When this phenomenon is observed at large, given that by their biological nature, dogs always have four legs, it’s safe to assume that all dogs have four legs.
Lastly, abductive reasoning is predictive in that it takes an observation similar to deductive reasoning and considers the most likely outcome of that scenario.
For example, if we’ve already deduced that all dogs have four legs, then it’s quite possible that Teddy, who meets those criteria, is a dog. Of course, Teddy could be a cat in this scenario, which is why abductive reasoning can be inaccurate and open to interpretation.
Final Thoughts
There are a number of differences between lateral thinking and logical reasoning, and both have their uses in the modern world. Logical thinking helps establish the most likely outcome of a problem, while lateral thinking is designed to generate ideas and inspire people to think differently.
References
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-lateral-thinking-definition-theory-examples.html
https://www.practiceaptitudetests.com/what-is-logical-reasoning/
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