A Synthesizing Mind – Howard Gardner

A Synthesizing Mind is a memoir from the creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory, written by renowned psychologist Howard Gardner. The book was published in 2020 and provides a look into Gardner’s life and work, including his theories on multiple intelligences and the Five Minds.

It provides an in-depth look at how Gardner arrived at his theories and how they have been applied in educational contexts. The book also explores how Gardner’s theories can be applied to a wide range of fields, from business and healthcare to technology, media, and the arts.

My mind is a synthesizing mind, which I believe is important for the future. I want to understand how it works and what lessons can be learned. I use a qualitative social science approach to create works of synthesis about the human mind, nature, and culture.

The five minds explained

The five minds include the respectful and ethical minds, which are important for human interaction, and the disciplined, creating, and synthesizing minds, which pertain to cognition.

The disciplined mind involves mastering various ways of thinking and disciplines, while the creative mind involves introducing novel ideas or practices that are accepted by relevant communities.

The synthesizing mind is the capacity to take in and organize information from various disciplines or fields and is not easily explained by MI theory.

It depends on the quality of the questions asked and metaphoric thought, and it requires deeper understanding and handling of challenges to be considered legitimate.

An unquenchable thirst for knowledge

Factors such as nature, nurture, experiences, and other intelligences can contribute to becoming a synthesizer.

Motivation, goals, and the ability to tackle big issues are also essential. Living largely in one’s mind, being insatiably curious, and asking many questions are common traits of a synthesizing mind.

Knowledge about many topics

Exhibiting wide curiosity, asking good questions, having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, reading widely, collecting information, oscillating between wandering and focus, being interested in multiple disciplines, and connecting dots across disciplines

The MI Theory

MI theory defines intelligence as a set of problem-solving skills and potential for finding/creating problems. Memory and processing of different content types vary.

MI theory identifies eight intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Each intelligence has unique examples of professions or competencies.

Types of synthesis

The different types of synthesis include conventional synthesis, which brings ideas together in a common-sense manner, and original synthesis, which introduces new ideas and questions. Hedgehog synapses focus on a single grand point, while fox-like synapses delight in plurality.

Synthesizing is an art form that involves skills such as form, arrangement, attention to audiences, and communication. Synthesizers draw from their preferred art form but are restricted by the available data and must find an adequate and accurate solution that is also aesthetically pleasing.