MESSAGE FOR WEEK BEGINNING 15th January 2001

..real thinking.....

It was Karl Marx who said: "Philosophy is to real life what masturbation is to sex".

Yet we continue to believe that all the attention that needs to be given to 'thinking' is adequately covered by university departments of philosophy. Is it?

I am beginning to use the term 'real thinking' in order to distinguish thinking that really makes a difference in the world from thinking that is only of academic interest and has a value only within the confines of school etc.

• Real thinking is defined as:
• Real world
• Real situations
• Real people
• Real difference

If six hourse of instruction in thinking (by the Holst Group) to unemployed youngsters on the New Deal programme, can increase employment five fold, that is real thinking.

If instruction in thinking can reduce the fights in a South African mine from 210 a month to just 4 a month, that is real thinking.

Edward de Bono nmt
12th January 2001
New Zealand

The de Bono Code website