Thought Processes.

[Pie]

A man and his son are in a car crash. The father is killed and the son is taken to hospital gravely injured. When he gets there, the surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy- he is my son!" How is this possible?



This is an example of lateral thinking, A topic in which i am Very curious about.
Recently, I've become very interested in the thinking process of the human mind, And reading up on them has changed the way i think, Take the question at the top, Without thinking too hard, what is your answer?
When not thinking in a lateral sense, I would automatically assume this was not possibly, Due to my Assumptions and rationale.

I would like you know to answer the question posed immediately at first, Then a second time after rationally thinking and considering it, and post both answers.

Yes, the question was ripped from a wikipedia article, You can visit it if you want, but there's no wrong answer to the question, only alternative answers.

In response to the answer posed, I automatically proclaimed it was not possible.
Then after considering it for a moment, I realised that because of my cultural assumptions. I failed to understand that the word "Surgeon" was not gender specific, and that's where my misunderstanding was.

[KorrupT MerC]

I was asked this years ago, and you gave the answer away... you should have left your response out if you really wanted to know how everyone thinks here...

When i first was asked this i think i was trying to convince myself that the man was actually not his father but eventually after repeating it like 20-30 times i figured it out lol.

[Pie]

I was asked this years ago, and you gave the answer away... you should have left your response out if you really wanted to know how everyone thinks here...

When i first was asked this i think i was trying to convince myself that the man was actually not his father but eventually after repeating it like 20-30 times i figured it out lol.

I don't think it really matters if i leave it in there or not, Someone's bound to look on a riddle page. Or at least I assume they will.
Anyhoo, I've asked a few of my friends, and they couldn't work it out, even when i was dropping them massive hints, Trying to get them to think about specific points of it.
But i suppose lateral thinking isn't exactly a skill you know, you've got to teach yourself. (Or someone's got to teach you.)
Not to mention the questions and answers aren't logical, And they teach you logic.

[The Philanthropist]

I first thought the answer was in the wording, that it was another tricky un. I didn't think it was impossible, I just thought about it first, and so when I thought of it it was:

In the car crash the driver was 'a man' not necessarily the boys father, a father could have been in the other car and gotten killed, while the surgeon could have been to boys real father while the man was just a chauffeur

[Mangled*]

A man and his son are in a car crash. The father is killed and the son is taken to hospital gravely injured. When he gets there, the surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy- he is my son!"

You know.. this will probably the plot of a Hollywood film one of these days...

Also I think there is something you overlooked:

The surgeon mistakes the boy for his son because of an uncanny resemblance.

[a-4-year-old]

Yes, the question was ripped from a wikipedia article, You can visit it if you want, but there's no wrong answer to the question, only alternative answers.

They told us that in school. believe me, there are wrong answers.

[KorrupT MerC]

Yes, the question was ripped from a wikipedia article, You can visit it if you want, but there's no wrong answer to the question, only alternative answers.

They told us that in school. believe me, there are wrong answers.

There are no alternative answers, just one right answer, they tell them there are 'no right answers' because they dont want people to feel stupid when they cant figure out the right one.

[a-4-year-old]

Yes, the question was ripped from a wikipedia article, You can visit it if you want, but there's no wrong answer to the question, only alternative answers.

They told us that in school. believe me, there are wrong answers.

There are no alternative answers, just one right answer, they tell them there are 'no right answers' because they dont want people to feel stupid when they cant figure out the right one.

serious question: Do you know how to read? You seem to have mixed up your Rights and Wrongs.

[Graham]

Soon as I saw what the surgeon said I thought it was the true father of the boy. As in someone slept around. 

[KorrupT MerC]

Yes, the question was ripped from a wikipedia article, You can visit it if you want, but there's no wrong answer to the question, only alternative answers.

They told us that in school. believe me, there are wrong answers.

There are no alternative answers, just one right answer, they tell them there are 'no right answers' because they dont want people to feel stupid when they cant figure out the right one.

serious question: Do you know how to read? You seem to have mixed up your Rights and Wrongs.

No im pretty sure i said everything right... The surgeon is the mother, every other explanation has some kind of loophole or doesn't follow through with what the scenario asks, so their arent any alternative answers, they just tell people that so everyone feels better because its their opinion.

*edit: actually i just caught that mistake, my fault, please a4yo forgive my sins.