..thinking does not exist as a subject.....

Many youngsters leave school having gotten almost nothing from the whole experience. Education is arranged to allow the top thirty per cent to thrive and go on to tertiary education, professions, management etc. The rest are rejects. This is an appalling situation which we accept with full complacency.

Yet just six hours of instruction in thinking can increase the employment rate of unemployed youngsters five fold! This is an astonishing figure.**

Why is 'thinking' so neglected? I doubt if there is a University anywhere in the world which has a chair or 'faculty' of thinking. Yet thinking is the most fundamental thinking skill. The quality of our future will depend directly, and soleley, on the quality of our thinking. We honour sport, entertainment, science and contributions to party funds - but thinking does not exist as a subject. Perhaps we do not believe anything can be done about it. Perhaps we believe that thinking is only a matter of intelligence, information and very antiquated argument methods!

Edward de Bono nmt
11th Novemebr 2000
Bangkok

The de Bono Code website