Is there anything wrong with "thinking outside the box."?

Question

"If society had its way 50 percent of the time. We'd all still be living in caves"-- Author

Answer 1

no. it is called conceptual thinking and should be stressed upon in any interview.

Answer 2

If people didn't think "What happens if I tug on these weird things on a cow?" we wouldn't have milk. If people didn't think "Is there a way to make light without using the sun or candles?" we wouldn't have light bulbs. If people didn't think "Could I build something capable of sending messages all over the world in electronic print?" we wouldn't have the internet. It's individuals that ask questions and think outside the box that make life what it is! It's just like you quoted: "If society had its way 50 percent of the time, we'd all still be living in caves." So don't listen to society and be as creative as you possibly can.

Answer 3

Yes. There is definitely something wrong with the idea that we are capable of 'thinking outside the box' although trying to do so is one of my favorite human qualities. We have trouble conceiving what we have not observed first or second hand. The fact is, you can not really think outside the box unless you define 'the box' in a very limited way. For instance, lets say I, a Canadian, insist that the Canadian way of life is the be all and end all of all living styles and swear to uphold it completely. I've just defined my box as 'Canada' which is a pretty big place but, relative to the world, a pretty narrow point of view. If I went to live in Korea and still insisted on living as a Canadian 100%, then we might say I was stuck in my box. Ahem.
Of course, there are other ways to define the box. For instance, I could insist on being of a religious or philosophical point of view exclusively and narrow my p.o.v. in that way.

When we get too broad though, thinking 'outside the box' is nearly impossible. For instance, I am somewhat stuck thinking of the world from a human point of view. I would be really in the box were I to insist on a female perspective on all that I think and do but 'human' is still limiting. I can sympathize with animals (and do) but only by projecting human emotions or reasoning on them. Now, we share quite a bit in common with animals, so it's a safe bet that we can interpret their actions and expressions with a fair amount of accuracy. What if I tried to think like someone coming from another planet. That's pretty hard to do (although a valuable exercise in many respects) because I have only really lived here and all my info about outer space has come to me on earth from earth-made technology, made by humans (also, one assumes, living on earth). So there's a certain amount of thinking outside the box that's speculative, unprovable and, I think, inseparable from our experiences and observations.

If we take 'thinking outside the box' to mean considering from an atypical or eccentric point of view, then it is well within our reach and understanding but entirely dependant upon how we define 'the box.' Remember too that 'the box' is a metaphor... some concepts don't really make sense to us unless we have a mental image that ties them into something we are familiar with.

The cave analogy is a nice bridge between the contemporary phrase and Plato's philosophical system - keep thinking around the box, examining the box and drilling holes in the box until you see the mysterious world that exists outside the box... sounds like you're well on your way.

Nicole

Answer 4

A perhaps philosophical observation: With all the advancements and progress in so many areas, have we figured out yet where we are going? I appreciate the era I was born and all the benefits it offers. That said, it seems it might be safer to live in caves these days.

Answer 5

OMG - NO! If nobody ever thought "outside the box" we would not have medical advancements like we have. I also believe the Internet would not be around. The rational thinking about Internet does not exist. It is our geniuses of yesterday, today, and tomorrow that think outside the box that makes all the advancements of the world! Just think about it!

Answer 6

Its not really about right or wrong, its about the reprocussions after thinking outside the box. Can you handle the treatment that the rest of society will treat you? (as in insults and rejection and whatever else) Overall, will it be worth it trying that something new thing? Thats what you have to ask yourself.

Answer 7

no! when you 'think outside the box, you become diverse and you diversify your ways of thought, giving people new ideas and also asking questions that may lead to new ways of thinking. this is how different philosophies were born and religions, how we discovered science and math and astronomy and physics and all that makes us superior to our predecessors. did you know that Homo Habilis learnt to develop tools, stone axes, yet that was as far as he got. in a million years, he never learnt to go any further than that! yet, in only hundreds of thousands of years, we have made ships as large as buildings, gone into space and risen from nothing to all that we are now. think outside the box because you never know what it could bring, a new idea is always a better idea.

Answer 8

Thinking outside the box allows change. However, I have found it should be done in moderation. It has taken me almost 40 years to find out that I guess I must conform. Don't sell your soul though.

Answer 9

Wow, that sure is an official quote . . . "author".

Nothing wrong with thinking outside the box- the problem is, people who use that tired phase are so inside the box they don't even know it.

You have to think outside the giraffe- now THAT's outside the box!

Answer 10

"Thinking outside the box" can never be considered wrong..its brilliant way of thinking..without it things wouldn't be invented....alot of the word would just be primative..having individual ideas and ideals about subjects is in my opinion a better way to live...

Answer 11

If all of your thoughts inside the box, it's easier to keep them organized. If you're okay with the chaos that ensues, then I'd say there's nothing wrong.