MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES BY HOWARD GADNER

Key Concepts of the Book

• The Rejection of "General Intelligence" (g): Gardner challenges the traditional psychological view that there is one single, overarching mental capacity that can be measured by a single IQ test.
• The Eight Distinct Intelligences: The book identifies specific, independent systems of intelligence that allow humans to solve problems and create products:
• Linguistic: Sensitivity to the meaning, rhythm, and order of words.
• Logical-Mathematical: Ability to handle long chains of reasoning and recognize complex patterns.
• Musical: Sensitivity to pitch, melody, rhythm, and tone.
• Spatial: The capacity to perceive the visual world accurately and perform transformations on those perceptions.
• Bodily-Kinesthetic: Excellence in using one's body to solve problems or express ideas (athletes, dancers, surgeons).
• Interpersonal: The ability to detect and respond appropriately to the moods, motivations, and desires of others.
• Intrapersonal: The capacity to understand one’s own internal emotions, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Naturalist: (Added later) The ability to recognize and categorize plants, animals, and other objects in nature.

• Biological Basis of the Mind: Gardner argues that each intelligence has its own evolutionary history and is localized in specific parts of the brain, meaning an injury can destroy one intelligence while leaving others intact.
• Intelligence vs. Domain: The book distinguishes between the "intelligence" (the raw mental capacity) and the "domain" (the cultural activity, like playing chess or being a trial lawyer), which usually requires a combination of several intelligences.
• The "Profile" of Strengths: Rather than having a "high" or "low" IQ, Gardner suggests every individual has a unique "profile" where they are highly developed in some intelligences and less developed in others.
• Cultural Context: Gardner explains how different cultures value different intelligences based on survival needs; for example, a seafaring culture may prize spatial intelligence above all others.
• Educational Reform: The theory advocates for "individual-centered" schooling, where material is taught in multiple ways to match the diverse intelligence profiles of students.
• The Ninth Intelligence: Gardner has explored a potential ninth modality—Existential Intelligence—which involves the capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life and death.