The Five Minds Of The Future

What qualities and abilities do you think an intelligent person possesses? This question has sparked debate and extensive research over the years. Intelligence was long thought to be a trait of those whose logical and mathematical abilities were outstanding. However, Howard Gardner revolutionized the old conceptions with his proposals. Among them, the description of the five minds of the future.

This son of refugees from World War II began to question the concept of intelligence and to expand his borders. After being a follower of Piaget and his defense of logical-mathematical intelligence, Gardner decided to move away from the “establishment” that dominated psychology at that time. 

A new perspective: intelligence is multiple

He rejected the idea that intelligence was a general and unique ability, inherited from our parents and unalterable. And, on the contrary, he proposed a concept based on different abilities independent of each other: the Multiple Intelligences model. 

But, in addition, this visionary predicted the five types of minds that it would be necessary to cultivate in the future to adapt to the world and its coming challenges. Today we know that aspects such as creativity, flexibility and emotional intelligence are essential and highly valued aspects, both in the workplace and in personal life.

So Gardner rightly broadened the focus to encompass the many skills required in a human being, beyond logic. The five minds that the author proposes use the different intelligences and are the most capable of prospering in the complex and challenging world that surrounds us.

The five minds of the future

1. The disciplined mind. She is capable of understanding the way of thinking of different human disciplines (scientific, historical, philosophical) and applying them in her life. In addition, he is capable of constantly improving and updating his knowledge, even after completing formal education.

2. The synthetic mind. It is the one that filters and discriminates the relevant information from that which is not. Understand and integrate knowledge from different sources, until achieving a coherent and understandable whole. He is able to carry out and present a meaningful synthesis of information.

3. The creative mind. It is the mind of the adventurer, who opens paths, questions and proposes new perspectives. He is the one who risks going beyond the known, proposing new ideas, theories and products.

4. The respectful mind: it is capable of accepting and welcoming differences in appearance, beliefs and customs between different cultures, as long as they do not represent a threat to the common well-being. Whoever has a respectful mind understands others and manages to work with them effectively and harmoniously. 

5. The ethical mind: it goes to a more abstract level and is governed by moral principles. It proposes to transcend personal interests and act for the common good. He strives to behave appropriately and exercise his roles with integrity.

Adapt to the future

The work of fostering these five minds, so necessary to succeed in the world around us and in the one to come, must be approached from two levels. First, to cultivate the different skills in those workers who are already active. In this way they will be able to be more competitive in the current market and they will develop their work and personally in a better way.

On the other hand, the most important challenge is an early approach, in the classrooms. Parents and educators are faced with the challenge of abandoning old and rigid paradigms and developing children’s intelligence in all its facets. Creativity, flexibility, the ability to solve problems … are skills that deserve to be worked from childhood.

The brain of children is extremely plastic and is in full development. Therefore, it is important to implement activities that help them work on these increasingly important and demanded qualities. Memorizing and sitting in silence for hours in front of a book is an increasingly obsolete proposition. The future calls for multiple intelligence and open minds adapted to its time. And it is the job of adults today to nurture children with the skills they need for future success and prosperity.