Expect the Unexpected (Or You Won't Find It) : A Creativity Tool Based on the Ancient Wisdom of Heraclitus

Von Oech, Roger

ISBN 10: 0743222873 / ISBN 13: 9780743222877

Published by Free Press, 2001

Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 9617594-75

Synopsis:

Dipping deeply into the well of Western thought and history, the author recovers the 2,500-year-old philosophy of Heraclitus for modern users--particularly business executives--using his wisdom to help readers jump-start their own creativity.

Review: The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus was the first "creativity teacher," says Roger von Oech, whose bestselling book A Whack on the Side of the Head set the standard for out-of-the-box thinking. In Expect the Unexpected, Von Oech uses 30 of Heraclitus's pithy and paradoxical epigrams to approach problems in a fresh manner. He explains his premise: "Creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena."

Von Oech uses the epigrams as creativity exercises--accompanied by mental puzzles, anecdotes, questions, and punchy footnotes--to demonstrate that Heraclitus's 2,500-year-old creative insights have aged well. With his whimsical wand, von Oech transforms the epigram "A Donkey prefers garbage to gold" into an exploration of values. He uses Heraclitus's observation that "A wonderful harmony is created when we join together the seemingly unconnected" to examine the use of metaphors in understanding problems. When Heraclitus observes that "Dogs bark at what they don't understand," Von Oech crafts a meditation about criticism. Executives, students, teachers, and parents will find an exciting and entertaining map for changing thought patterns, tolerating ambiguity, confounding expectations, and searching for hidden meanings. --Barbara Mackoff

Bibliographic Details

Title: Expect the Unexpected (Or You Won't Find It)...
Publisher: Free Press
Publication Date: 2001
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st.