Edward de Bono, a self-styled genius who invented the term lateral thinking, has died. His 60 plus books and relentless stream of out-of-the-box ideas brought riches and withering criticism. One reviewer said he had “the great salesman’s gift of being fluent in the international language of gibberish. If his life and career teach us anything, it is that no one ever lost money blowing his own trumpet.” Another commentator rejected lateral thinking as “founded on nifty puzzles, a storehouse of anecdotes, an abundance of imperial generalities and no end of clunking analogies and neologisms”.
One of his most quoted treasures was that Marmite could be a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict since the Middle Eastern unleavened bread lacked zinc which makes them irritable and belligerent. Feeding them Marmite would help create peace.
Although he did have his supporters. Richard Branson called him “an inspiring man with brilliant ideas”. And he wasn’t wrong about education – “Schools waste two-thirds of the talent in society. The universities sterilise the rest,” he said.
Born 19 May 1933 3am (biography) Valetta, Malta, he was inventive from an early age, took medical degrees in adult life while writing down his gems of wisdom as a second-string activity. His books eventually made him enough money to stop practising and he became rich with homes in London, Norfolk, Venice, Ireland, Malta and the Bahamas.
He was a Sun Taurus – on this birth time in the financial 2nd which would make sense; with an innovative, status-quo-upsetting Uranus in the 1st square Pluto.
What is intriguing about his not-very-interesting chart is his Neptune, Mars, Jupiter in Virgo which was shared with F Lee Bailey, the flamboyant lawyer and court bamboozler (see post below) and Joan Collins amongst others. Mars Jupiter is spilling over with energy and enthusiasm, is risk-taking, can lead to a might-makes-right approach and produces a campaigning, crusading spirit. Add Neptune into the mix and it becomes publicity-seeking as well as a dream-spinner. He did have a scientifically inclined Saturn in Aquarius which would add a veneer of respectability to his theories.
His global-renown 22nd harmonic was strong; as was his get-it-together 5th though it had a distinctly unique bent; and his breakthrough/exploration 13H.
He sounds a bit like the time and motion experts of the past who were brought in to make companies more efficient and cost effective.
That Marmite anecdote made me laugh. There must be something in the name Bono to be able to come up with such peculiar thoughts that edges on sanctimony. Remember when Bono from U2 addressed congress a few years ago to combat extremism? He said we should ‘send in comedians to counter the violent messages of militant organisations such as ISIS.’ Another patronising arse wedged to the crack with money yet likes to tell others how they should live. He’s Taurus too, I believe. They seem to be in the news a lot this week or mentioned on here in some other threads. The slippery Gemini must be having a break at the moment, lol.
Is south node/Jupiter midpoint is on his Mars/Neptune conjunction. Perhaps an innate assumption that he was destined for higher things. Especially in Virgo as he would find fault with others and think himself far more intelligent. Jupiter in the six would indicates higher education and a life work in philosophy. The 12 house moon would also give him a impetus to relate his higher thoughts to the people. Sun conjunct Chiron is interesting as his south node/Jupiter midpoint is Mars Neptune could indicate a father issue and perhaps his father was out of his reach or made him feel not worthy?
He used to come to my parents for dinner.
You have hit the nail on the head, he managed to be simultaneously boring, idiotic and unhinged.
Mercury in Taurus and the Marmite Moment — “thinking”, “food” can heal all! (haha) That’s my takeaway.
Wow. Raised in a household of educators, I was taught to revere Edward de Bono. Haven’t thought about him in years. Thanks for this, Marjorie.
One of the few authors on the psychology/self-help shelf whose books I somehow never picked up a copy of. I can remember his books prominent back in the 80s/90s, partly because that exotic sounding name. It somehow seemed to add authority to what the books might contain.
Interesting to look at his chart and see his Mercury in Taurus – I’d have said that’s the last placement you’d expect from a lateral thinker especially when you see it in a square to Saturn in Aquarius! Maybe the Jupiter trine from Virgo was able to open it up to wider perspective.
With the caveat of never having read his stuff, I’m guessing that much of what he wrote in the 70s/80s(?) would have been revolutionary for the time. Tips on how to lateral think or run better meetings are two-a-penny as internet articles these days but it’s not so long ago that those sort of things were little-known secrets and the domain of experts.
When I saw that Mercury in Taurus, I thought the same, GN as it tends to be rather conventional and unadventurous there and in square to Saturn even more so. However, I can see with all that Taurus in the second he would be drawn to possessions and security as his property empire demonstrates.
Absolutely – five planets in earth plus the 2nd is very capable of being materialistic.
I guess the Uranus in Aries in 1st would push him to be a lateral thinker. Especially when his Saturn in Aqua is in 11th. So he never feel he fits in.
People with strong uranus / aqua can be deliberately contrary to avoid conforming and to pick holes in the establishement to maintain their difference.