Teach Yourself to Think

Rating:
Summary: Think Better Than Ivy-league Professors
Review: I am thoroughly impressed with Edward De Bono's matter-of-fact, wholly insightful, and unique yet practical work(s) published in the field of Thinking over the last four decades. After listening to De Bono's taped works (such as "Teach Yourself to Think"), I was both saddened and amazed to realize how limited in scope were the types and tools of thinking I was taught in higher education. The Ivy-league schools I attended taught specialized material primarily by means of judgment, criticism, analysis, and argument. Other important thinking modes, especially action-oriented ones such as design, exploration, creativity, and so forth, were assumed to arise mainly from talent and intelligence, and therefore were not taught, even ignored. How wrong and damaging was that default view !

Ed De Bono's works are packed with useful tools and insights. Because they are packed, gaining the most benefit requires reading "between the lines". I believe the listener must "stop the tape" (or put down the book) and make the effort to expand on De Bono's concepts and comments, in part by mapping them into past personal experiences (particularly useful are those experiences that had costly or unpleasant outcomes for the listener because at the time he/she lacked (or misapplied) certain thinking tools).

I am convinced that anyone of average intelligence and education who invests about 20 hours effort to listen to, internalize, and then practice a half-dozen of De Bono's various thinking tools will be amazed at the improvement it will yield in his/her relationships and work. I offer this comment as neither a religious nor "New Age" promoter but merely as a person who continues to benefit from these approaches.

I also highly recommend De Bono's "Teach Your Child to Think" tapes. They largely complement this set.

Rating:
Summary: Think Better Than Ivy-league Professors
Review: I am thoroughly impressed with Edward De Bono's matter-of-fact, wholly insightful, and unique yet practical work(s) published in the field of Thinking over the last four decades. After listening to De Bono's taped works (such as "Teach Yourself to Think"), I was both saddened and amazed to realize how limited in scope were the types and tools of thinking I was taught in higher education. The Ivy-league schools I attended taught specialized material primarily by means of judgment, criticism, analysis, and argument. Other important thinking modes, especially action-oriented ones such as design, exploration, creativity, and so forth, were assumed to arise mainly from talent and intelligence, and therefore were not taught, even ignored. How wrong and damaging was that default view !

Ed De Bono's works are packed with useful tools and insights. Because they are packed, gaining the most benefit requires reading "between the lines". I believe the listener must "stop the tape" (or put down the book) and make the effort to expand on De Bono's concepts and comments, in part by mapping them into past personal experiences (particularly useful are those experiences that had costly or unpleasant outcomes for the listener because at the time he/she lacked (or misapplied) certain thinking tools).

I am convinced that anyone of average intelligence and education who invests about 20 hours effort to listen to, internalize, and then practice a half-dozen of De Bono's various thinking tools will be amazed at the improvement it will yield in his/her relationships and work. I offer this comment as neither a religious nor "New Age" promoter but merely as a person who continues to benefit from these approaches.

I also highly recommend De Bono's "Teach Your Child to Think" tapes. They largely complement this set.

Rating:
Summary: A very very nice book
Review: I only made a cup of coffee for myself,that's the only break I had while I was reading this book which was the very first by mr.De Bono. I couldn't put it down and even though this book could have been so complicated it isn't at all - as a matter of fact it was the author's goal to be as simple as possible with his ways of teaching us how to think properly. And with some effort I should be able to think properly now when I read this book. I knew I am gaining something with the humiliation I made to myself by chosing the book to teach me of something that "I already know"!!!