Multiple intelligences

This morning in my Facebook there was a link to a talk by the ‘education’ guru Howard Gardner who introduced the concept of multiple intelligences in 1983. This replaced the earlier idea of intelligence as a single entity called G. There is now general agreement about the initial eight and there is ongoing discussion about a further four.

Individuals have more or less of the various intelligences. So what should the education system do (a) build on existing strengths or (b) help to develop weak areas?

I note that there is now thought to be Existential Intelligence which includes sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why do we die, and how did we get here. Since the late 1960s I have remained aware of the possibility of ‘neurotic nihilists living in existential vacuums’. Most people that I know steer clear of such big think topics. They rest content with, and vigorously defend, ‘what’ they know, and avoid consideration about ‘how’ they know.

Hang on to what you got
You ain’t got much but it’s all you got
Hang on to what you got
Little things mean a lot. (Clark, 12 June 1970)

A big think approach is to recognise that ‘reality’ is a cultural creation rooted in individuals by nature, nurture and serendipity. It is ‘nothing to kill or die for’ but rather something to be discussed and renegotiated on an ongoing basis.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Gardner 

http://bigthink.com/articles/researchers-find-link-between-tolerance-for-boredom-and-level-of-intelligence# -level-of-intelligence#  Howard Gardner on types of intelligence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences eight intelligences were recognised in 1983. There are now thought to be at least twelve.

http://skyview.vansd.org/lschmidt/Projects/The%20Nine%20Types%20of%20Intelligence.htmhttp://skyview.vansd.org/lschmidt/Projects/The%20Nine%20Types%20of%20Intelligence.htm – short definitions of the nine types