Let's get on with it, today we are going to talk about intelligence: its history, and definition!


The concept of intelligence is relatively recent, having only been used since the 1920s.

However, this concept has been explored since Ancient Greece. Aristotle referred to it as "reason" and defined it as the ability to resist our instincts. The concept evolved with Charles Darwin, who delved deeper into Aristotle's definition. During the industrialisation era, intelligence became associated with a person's adaptability.


It was only in 1903 that Alfred Binet introduced the famous Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test to assess a person's intelligence. However, this concept continued to link intelligence to a single representation of a person's cognitive ability and upheld the belief that individuals were born with a certain amount of intelligence that could be measured and rarely changed with the environment.










Nonetheless, Howard Gardner, a cognitive and educational psychologist, presented his theory of Multiple Intelligences to counter the emergence of these tests.


Gardner argued that human cognitive faculty is better described by various distinct abilities, which can be called Intelligences. He also demonstrated that intelligence is flexible and influenced by the cultural context in which an individual finds themselves, challenging IQ tests because when a person is placed in a different cultural setting, they perform tasks they had never previously undertaken.

Through observations of how individuals in different cultures developed essential skills for their lifestyles, Gardner defined intelligence as the ability to solve problems in natural and rich contexts, meaning, "a biopsychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products valued in a culture."


The formulation of this theory was inspired by Piaget's conceptions of cognitive development. Piaget also argued that "intelligence is not inherited but constructed in the interactive process between humans and their physical and social environment."


Thus, the theory of Multiple Intelligences posits that humans possess 8 distinct intelligences, which according to Gardner, are: linguistic or verbal intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, naturalistic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence.










Gardner believed that everyone has all eight intelligences, but some are more predominant than others. Nonetheless, if individuals engage in activities related to various intelligences from childhood, they will develop their cognitive abilities.


With this in mind, the rest of this post will delve into Musical Intelligence.


Musical intelligence is the ability to appreciate, discriminate, transform, and express musical forms, as well as sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, and timbre. This makes it easier for individuals to recognise sounds and melodies and express themselves through music.








Despite its focus on specific skills, such as recognising sounds, good musical intelligence also involves rhythmic movement, like dancing, or learning new words and languages through music.








Like all other intelligences, musical intelligence can be trained and developed, which is often overlooked, as some believe musical skills are intrinsic and only certain people possess them. This leads to musical intelligence being frequently undervalued in schools, although it is as important as the others!


Therefore, to promote musical intelligence, schools should engage in activities involving listening to and singing music, playing instruments, dancing, and listening to sounds. These simple activities can significantly develop children's musical abilities.







I hope you enjoyed this post and learned a bit more about the history of intelligence and Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. Also, if you are interested in developing your musical intelligence too, I recommend taking Duolingo's music classes!