In brief, MI theory leads to three conclusions:
l. All of us have the full range of intelligences; that is what makes us human beings,
cognitively speaking.
2. No two individuals—not even identical twins—have exactly the same intellectual
profile. That is because, even when the genetic material is identical, individuals have
different experiences; and those who are identical twins are often highly motivated to
distinguish themselves from one another.
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3. Having a strong intelligence does not mean that one necessarily acts intelligently.
A person with high mathematical intelligence might use her abilities to carry out
important experiments in physics or create powerful new geometric proofs; but she might
waste these abilities in playing the lottery all day or multiplying ten-digit numbers in her
head.
All of these statements are about the psychology of human intelligence—to which MI
theory seeks to make a contribution. But of course, they raise powerful educational,
political, and cultural questions. Those questions will engage us in later parts of the book.
Conclusion
I believe that in our society we suffer from three biases, which I have nicknamed
"Westist," "Testist," and "Bestist." "Westist" involves putting certain Western cultural
values, which date back to Socrates, on a pedestal. Logical thinking, for example, is
important; rationality is important; but they are not the only virtues. "Testist" suggests a
bias towards focusing upon those human abilities or approaches that are readily testable.
If it can't be tested, it sometimes seems, it is not worth paying attention to. My feeling is
that assessment can be much broader, much more humane than it is now, and that
psychologists should spend less time ranking people and more time trying to help them.
"Bestist" is a not very veiled reference to a book by David Halberstam (1972) called
The Best and the Brightest. Halberstam referred ironically to figures, such as Harvard
faculty members, who were brought to Washington to help President John F. Kennedy
and in the process launched the Vietnam War. I think that any belief that all the answers
to a given problem lie in one certain approach, such as logical-mathematical thinking, can
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be very dangerous. Current views of intellect need to be leavened with other more
comprehensive points of view.
It is of the utmost importance that we recognize and nurture all of the varied human
intelligences, and all of the combinations of intelligences. We are all so different largely
because we all have different combinations of intelligences. If we recognize this, I think
we will have at least a better chance of dealing appropriately with the many problems that
we face in the world. If we can mobilize the spectrum of human abilities, not only will
people feel better about themselves and more competent; it is even possible that they will
also feel more engaged and better able to join the rest of the world community in working
for the broader good. Perhaps if we can mobilize the full range of human intelligences
and ally them to an ethical sense, we can help to increase the likelihood of our survival on
this planet, and perhaps even contribute to our thriving.
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