I am Right You are Wrong: From This to the New Renaissance: From Rock Logic to Water Logic

Explains why the world's problems cannot be solved using traditional Western thought and offers an argument for the encouragement of originality and creativity

Advocating a perception-based mode of thinking free from rigid rationality, de Bono ( Six Thinking Hats ) hopes this manual will "signal the start of a New Renaissance." He argues that "our existing thinking culture" overemphasizes rote logic and simplistic labeling of behaviors as right/wrong or always/never. Deeply suspicious of language as a tool for argument or persuasion, he likens the brain to a "self-organizing system" that generates patterns, and he calls for a new "lateral thinking" to liberate the mind from the shackles of language-dependent thought. "Water logic," adaptive and imaginative, will replace our confrontational, repetitive "rock logic." This trendy how-to, which reads like a motivational seminar handbook, is full of catchy slogans and mixes byte-size nuggets with questionable assertions ("Humor is by far the most significant behavior of the human mind"). Three Nobel physicists have written forewords to this book, which includes techniques designed to jolt the mind out of familiar ruts.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A deceptively simple but consistently provocative appeal for perceptual (as opposed to structured) thinking from the author of Six Action Shoes (the trifle reviewed below), Tactics (1984), and several other works dealing with powers of the mind. As before, de Bono (an M.D. who no longer practices) challenges traditional Western thought processes on grounds that they are unequal to the task of solving the Global Village's many pressing problems. According to the author, orthodox methods of thinking are based on absolutes, a rigid insistence on facts, and other unproductive habits dating back to an ancient time when truth seekers like Aristotle relied on reason or its corollaries (analysis, logic, etc.) to free themselves from the bonds of dogma. While essentially adversarial methods are fine for achieving technological gains or winning arguments, de Bono says, such systems lack the originality and creativity required to deal with socioeconomic as well as political affairs. Describing the human brain as a self-organizing marvel, the author makes a strong case for what he calls ``water logic,'' a purportedly natural activity of the physical organ's neural network. By de Bono's account, water logic represents a fluid approach that provides the basis for new ideas, humor, insights, poetry, and other of civilization's more fruitful pleasures. On occasion, de Bono can be decidedly arbitrary in advancing his theories. Without much supporting evidence, for example, he dismisses language as a trap and characterizes humor as the intellect's most significant behavior (owning mainly to its asymmetry). In aid of breakthrough conjecture, however, the author is never less than thought-provoking, and his witty, allusive text is notable for its wealth of illuminating digressions. An offbeat treatise that charts a course out of the mainstream and along the varied routes that, perhaps, lead to unconventional wisdom. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Traditional ("rock logic") thinking is no longer sufficient to deal with today's political, economic, and social concerns, according to author and psychologist de Bono. While classical reasoning may sometimes serve us well, it fails in its assumption that perception is absolute. De Bono presents a model of the brain as a self-organizing system that forms and uses patterns. Behavior in this system is driven by perception that varies according to circumstance. De Bono urges the use of thinking techniques (e.g., provocation, lateral thinking) that encourage creativity and alternative designs. While the author occasionally belabors some points, his vision for a future that acknowledges the limitations of logic and emphasizes the importance of perception merits serious attention. For public and academic libraries. See also de Bono's Six Action Shoes , reviewed in this issue, p. 186.--Ed.
- Laurie Bartolini, Lincoln Lib., Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.