The Art of Thinking in a Digital World

Figures

1. Figure 1. Venn diagram engineer/consultant/philosopher, Dominique Paquet
2. Figure 2. Cover of The Atlantic, July/August 2008
3. Figure 3. Cover of Wired, July 2008
4. Figure 4. La Trahison des images by Tonu
5. Figure 5. The landscape of induction and deduction, Alix Garin, Dominique Paquet
6. Figure 6. Explaining Venn diagrams, Dominique Paquet
7. Figure 7. A car is an example of …, Dominique Paquet
8. Figure 8. H for ambiguity, Dominique Paquet
9. Figure 9. Uncertainty, Dominique Paquet
10. Figure 10. Change within us/in front of us, Dominique Paquet
11. Figure 11. The I/D model (page 1), Dominique Paquet
12. Figure 12. The I/D model (page 2), Dominique Paquet
13. Figure 13. Possible attributes of the model, Dominique Paquet
14. Figure 14. Coincidence, correlation, conjunction and causality, Dominique Paquet
15. Figure 15. Solvay conference, Benjamin Couprie, 1911
16. Figure 16. Venn diagram for falsity, intention, and digital world, Dominique Paquet
17. Figure 17. Circular diagram for language, Dominique Paquet
18. Figure 18. The tree of thinking, Dominique Paquet
19. Figure 19. Three bubbles on a plane, Dominique Paquet
20. Figure 20. Three pipes, Tonu
21. Figure 21. Logic vs critique, Dominique Paquet
22. Figure 22. A graphical method for syllogisms, Dominique Paquet
23. Figure 23. Ethos, pathos, logos, Dominique Paquet
24. Figure 24. Tiananmen book resistance, Jérôme Viguet
25. Figure 25. CatGPT, Vince (Vincent Dubois)
26. Figure 26. What algorithms do, can’t do, and shouldn’t do, Dominique Paquet
27. Figure 27. Simplified model: Be logical, Dominique Paquet
28. Figure 28. History of logic, Rodolphe Duprey
29. Figure 29. Mathematics vs logic, Dominique Paquet
30. Figure 30. Two urns, Dominique Paquet
31. Figure 31. Simplified model: Be creative, Dominique Paquet
32. Figure 32. History of creativity, Rodolphe Duprey
33. Figure 33. Minimum
34. Figure 34. The Michelin zigzag, Dominique Paquet
35. Figure 35. The BIC zigzag, Dominique Paquet
36. Figure 36. Optical illusion cube
37. Figure 37. Optical illusion science
38. Figure 38. Ambiguity and paradox, Dominique Paquet
39. Figure 39. The zigzag imperative, Dominique Paquet
40. Figure 40. Creativity vs innovation, Dominique Paquet
41. Figure 41. The lightbulb zigzag, Dominique Paquet
42. Figure 42. The Barbie zigzag, Dominique Paquet
43. Figure 43. Rugby goalposts
44. Figure 44. ‘Yes, and …’ vs ‘Yes, but …’, Dominique Paquet
45. Figure 45. Three types of new ideas, Dominique Paquet
46. Figure 46. Galileo's inclined plane, Dominique Paquet
47. Figure 47. Water and data bottles, Tonu
48. Figure 48. The water/data zigzag, Dominique Paquet
49. Figure 49. Big problems and big data, Dominique Paquet
50. Figure 50. Simplified model: Be critical, Dominique Paquet
51. Figure 51. History of critical thinking, Rodolphe Duprey
52. Figure 52. Simplified model: Ethics/morality
53. Figure 53. Descriptive vs prescriptive philosophy, Dominique Paquet

Preface

When Luc first approached me about the concept of this book, I was immediately on board. A book that connects the dots between Luc’s ideas and contributions and that links them to digital transformation is essential! Luc's pursuit of new insights has always inspired me as a colleague, first as a fellow partner at BCG and now as a professor at IMD. Always as a friend. There is simply nobody like Luc anywhere. Over the years, I have been guided by his ability to view the world through multiple lenses, helping to frame ideas in new boxes. In my opinion, Luc challenges – and adds to – conventional wisdom. Luc’s approach to digital thinking is about adapting to significant changes and anticipating the ‘what ifs’ of our future.

Consider Luc’s idea that ‘to change is to change twice’. This concept profoundly resonates with me as it helps frame the climate challenge. Firstly, there is the awakening to our environmental challenges, which happens relatively swiftly. This is about awareness. Once we understand something differently, there is no going back. That’s the ‘Eureka!’ moment. Secondly, there’s the gradual evolution in how we address the climate challenges, a process that unfolds over a longer time. This is about action. Global awareness of the climate crisis has surged over the past years, while the change will take many decades. In my teaching, I often use the ‘change twice’ principle to illustrate how to close the gap between knowing and doing.

As the saying goes: ‘nothing is as practical as a good theory.’ Luc's work is a testament to the practical value of sound theory. In a world where technology often outpaces our understanding of its implications, this book illustrates how a solid intellectual foundation is beneficial and essential. I deeply respect Luc’s ability to synthesize complex philosophical ideas in order to apply them to personal and business decisions. This method forms the backbone of his book, offering a wealth of frameworks that are both intellectually rigorous and practically useful. Luc's work addresses the core challenges of the digital era, providing profound and accessible insights. He bridges the gap between complex theories and everyday applications, showing how abstract concepts can yield tangible results. His ability to simplify intricate ideas without losing their essence is a testament to the depth of his understanding and clarity of thought.

For example, Luc has been vital in helping me frame ‘future-back’ approaches here at IMD. Instead of incremental, step-by-step planning, we can project ourselves into a future ambition and then ask: ‘How did we get there?’ This helps us to avoid becoming narrow-minded and trapped by the current when we need courage to create the future.

I now want to highlight two aspects of Luc’s work that are omnipresent throughout the book. Firstly, the use of cartoons and illustrations. We all know that a good picture is worth a thousand words. Luc helps us to convey those thousand words through simple images. When I left BCG, my most valued parting gift was a cartoon from Luc that illustrated the importance of balancing exploring for the future with exploiting current capabilities and products in the present. It was framed as a graveyard showing companies that had focused too much on one or the other. Priceless! The second element is humour. We don’t learn as well by just being serious. We need to see the fun and the surprising. I would say that using images and humour are two elements that make Luc a great storytelling teacher. Luc’s unique perspective is particularly evident in his discussion of digital transformation. We must go beyond the buzzwords and hype. We need a nuanced perspective to consider the opportunities and challenges of the digital age. By reframing the digital world, Luc provides fresh insights that inspire readers to think differently and embrace change with confidence and curiosity, empowering them to navigate the digital landscape more effectively.