Simply mentioning the concept of “g”, or general intelligence, in some university faculties causes mouths to froth and eyes to roll uncontrollably in their sockets. “Intelligence is a social construct!” they wail, waving dog-eared copies of Gould’s “The Mismeasure of Man” around like crucifixes at a vampire.
There are myriad ways of obscuring the terrible truth that some children are smarter than others.
The latest smoke-and-mirrors routine is the theory of “multiple intelligences.” We don’t have one intelligence, they say, we’ve got many, and while you might be smarter in some ways, I’m smarter in other ways. That way, everyone can feel warm and good about themselves.
There are lots of different areas of human endeavour for children and adults to explore, from music and art to science, sport, politics. But intelligence in different areas tends to be correlated, more or less. The thing that separates good musicians from good writers and good mathematicians is mostly domain-specific practice, nothing more. Not some special “gene for music” or “musical intelligence.” Practice.
There’s a nice article on this in the Chronicle:
Many people like to think that any child, with the proper nurturance, can blossom into some kind of academic oak tree, tall and proud. It’s just not so.
Multiple intelligences provides a kind of cover to preserve that fable. “OK, little Jimmie may not be a rocket scientist, but he can dance real well. Shouldn’t that count equally in school and life?” No.
No, indeed, and it’s patronising and unfair to tell someone otherwise. Everyone deserves the truth, even if it is not what we want to hear.
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My family appreciates my gift. Cuz that’s what we call it – not ‘multiple intelligences.’ I have a talent for cooking, and I have worked on it a bit to improve it.
I’m not a rocket surgeon or a brain scientist, but I can make damn good gravy.
cool… I am very envious of good cooks. I dabble, but that’s about it.