Contradiction Analysis

Analyze the contradictions inherent in your problem.

At the heart of many problems is a contradiction between two Factors.

There are two types of contradictions:  physical and technical.

• Physical Contradiction:  Occur when the physical state of the object must be in two states at once.
• Technical Contradiction:  Occur when improving one aspect of the problem is at the expense of another.

To Analyze Contradictions:

Step 1:  List the contradictions inherent in your problem:

Step 2:  Identify the obvious contradictions. These are usually easy to find because the contradictions are in sharp contrast.

Step 3:  Recognize those contradictions which are not so obvious. Often the existing problem was based on an understanding of the obvious contradictions, but not of the minor ones. You may be able to think of new ways to improve the situation by focusing your attention on these less than obvious contradictions.

Step 4:  Examine the interrelations between the contradictions. If you can find a way to remove or reduce multiple contradictions at once, you may have greatly increased your chances for solving the problem. Remember, the best solution is one where the contradiction is simply removed.

Sources:

MyCoTed web site at www.mycoted.com.