This Man Must be Stopped!

Here's what's wrong with capitalism.

Though I think highly of making money, Howard Gardner must be stopped. The Harvard psychologist came up with the concept of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 about natural (innate) predispositions to learning. These 7, um, I mean 8, er, now NINE multiple intelligences are logic/math, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal,visual, body/kinesthetic, and musical. Well those were the original 7 anyway.

When teaching these ideas over the last few years, I would say in a playful, yet cynical way, Dr. Gardner has now found an 8th way to be intelligent, naturalist, because he wanted to write another book and get a new Mercedes. And now, he's at it again. Introducing intelligence #9, hot off the press, Existential Intelligence! This discovery just by coincidence comes with Gardner having to pay for his daughters expensive wedding in the Spring.

I was with him for the original 7, then I reluctantly accepted number 8, but c'mon Howard, Existential Intelligence? What's next? Intelligence #10, being able to dream in Esperanto, or do Brad Pitt impersonations in French?

I am all for writing and reading books. But should this man profit while pretending to discover new theories which can only be disputed, never proven? It's time for you Dr. Gardner to turn in your IBM Thinkpad and get real, maybe with a job handling returns at CostCo, starting the day after Christmas. That will keep you grounded.

In case you think I am making this up, have a look at all nine. http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/learning/MI%20Table.htm