Another reason testing assumptions is important is that it can yield perceptual breakthroughs. Testing assumptions can help us shift perspectives and view problems in a new light. As the philosopher Marcel Proust once said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeking with new eyes.” The result often is a breakthrough solution or, at the least, a new problem definition. There is an old joke that illustrates this point nicely:
Two men were camping in the wilderness when they were awakened one morning by a large bear rummaging through their food supply. The bear noticed the men and started lumbering toward them.
The men still were in their sleeping bags and didn’t have time to put on their boots, so they picked up their boots and began running away from the bear. The terrain was very rough, however, and they couldn’t make much progress. The bear was gaining on them.
Suddenly, one of the men sat down and began pulling on his boots. His friend couldn’t believe what he was seeing and said, “Are you nuts? Can’t you see that the bear is almost here? Let’s go!”
The man on the ground continued putting on his boots. As he did this, he looked up at the other man and said, “Well, Charlie, the way I look at it, I don’t have to outrun the bear—I only have to outrun you!”
And so, another problem is resolved by testing assumptions. In this case, both men originally assumed the problem was how to outrun the bear. When one of the men tested this assumption, a creative solution popped out. This single act provided that man with one critical extra option. His spontaneous creative thinking enabled him to gain an edge over his “competitor.”
Taken From : Pfeiffer 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving
