Edward de Bono (born 19 May 1933 in Malta) is a Maltese physician, psychologist, author, inventor and consultant. He originated the term lateral thinking, wrote the book Six Thinking Hats and is a proponent of the teaching of thinking as a subject in schools.

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono was born in Malta on 19 May 1933. Educated at St. Edward's College, Malta De Bono then gained a medical degree from the University of Malta. He studied at York University, Toronto, and later was a Rhodes Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained an MA in psychology and physiology. He represented Oxford in polo and set two canoeing records. He also has a PhD degree in medicine from Trinity College, Cambridge, a DDes (Doctor of DESIGN) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and an LLD from the University of Dundee.