Interviews
Howard Gardner
(The Essential of Multiple Intelligence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence)
Highlights
- Computers do not in themselves have a moral sense, or an ethical sense. We can only prevent computational systems from being destructive, damaging, or threatening, by designing them carefully; monitoring what they do and how they perform; and when they operate in a way that seems dangerous or destructive, we have to reprogram them or shut them off.
- We should teach every child how to use computational systems effectively but at the same time, we need to nurture, to develop, their moral intelligences and their ethical intelligences.
- I do recommend that in the case of young children, parents, grandparents, teachers (and older siblings) help the young child to use technology in ways that are constructive, and not to become too dependent on ‘smart devices”
- Anyone who works with children on the autistic spectrum should know about different conceptions of mind, intelligence, emotions, and social relations.
- I am confident in saying that anyone who reads through my collections of papers will understand others better—and, equally important, understand themselves better as well!
Hi Howard, thank you for being with us today. You recently published two new books: The Essential Howard Gardner on Education and The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind. Can you shortly tell us what they talk about?
I am a scholar in my ninth decade—I’ve ventured far and wide over the years—writing over thirty books and well over 1000 articles. No one is going to read through all of these works and all of these words. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to select the most important and influential of my writings and to put them in two volumes—The Essential Howard Gardner on Mind and The Essential Howard Gardner on Education. (published by Teachers College press in New York). Each of the several dozen articles has a short essay, which explains the circumstances that led to the writing, what I might emphasize differently in the second quarter of the 21st century, and how that line of work could continue in the future. I hope that these volumes will be translated into many languages—including Italian!—and of course, it’s possible that “Large Language Instruments” or “Google Translate” could do a reasonable job of translation as well.
Considering the fact that “artificial intelligence” is becoming increasingly important. Iin your opinion, is understanding “human intelligence” even more important today to make good use of AI?
We used to think that ‘intelligence’ applied only to human beings—and perhaps only to SOME human beings. Now, of course, we recognize that many animals have one or another form of intelligence; and some believe that plants are also intelligent (e.g. they can communicate dangers to other members of their species). And, equally truthfully, there are many forms of computer intelligence as well—on some tasks, computers are much better—and certainly much faster—than any human being. It’s understandable that we will want to use computers in ways that make our lives easier and—we hope—to make the world a better, safer, even more intelligent place. But computers do not in themselves have a moral sense, or an ethical sense—though, of course, we can program them to mimic our own moral or ethical senses (be those senses healthy or dangerous). We can only prevent computational systems from being destructive, damaging, or threatening, by designing them carefully; monitoring what they do and how thety perform; and when they operate in a way that seems dangerous or destructive, we have to reprogram them or shut them off. Of course, this is much easier said than done. We will need to have international agreements about which messages, actions, projects are ‘off limits’ ‘taboo’—for a vivid example, creating and spreading a virus that could destroy all human life… indeed, all life. Until 2025, our planet has not been good at describing and carrying out such governing policies. But this is also the first time in human history that we have created something that could destroy the planet—even nuclear weapons were not that powerful. Sorry to be so blunt, but the stakes are Very High!
What should be done in education to help us manage AI?
Every young person on the planet should have the opportunity to use computational systems—to see what they can do and how they can do it—and to understand the power –for good and for evil –that artificial forms of intelligence are able to exercise. (Of course, human intelligence can also be used benignly or malignantly). My own recommendation is that we should teach every child how to use computational systems effectively- but at the same time, we need to nurture, to develop, their moral intelligences and their ethical intelligences. Of course, religions have always had this goal—but too often—including today, religions are seen as clashing with one another—Christians vs Muslims vs Jews. I think we need a religion (with or without a God) which seeks to unite all human beings and to inculcate respect for all the life on the planet.
How important do you think is discovering and developing a kid’s specific kinds of intelligence? Do you think technological use in early schools (kindergarten and elementary) should be completely banned?
Whether or not you use the terminology of ‘multiple intelligences’ it’s very important to discover the interests and strengths and inclinations of each child, and to nurture those proclivities. Sometime, this determination will be easy and natural to do—if, for example, all members of a family are musical or athletic or like to play with words or numbers . But it’s equally important to help young people develop their intellectual strengths and proclivities, even if they differ from the rest of the family. Here teachers, coaches, organized activities can be very helpful. I would not favor BANNING technology — that won’t work. I do recommend that in the case of young children, parents, grandparents, teachers (and older siblings) help the young child to use technology in ways that are constructive, and not to become too depend on ‘smart devices” At Harvard Project Zero, where I have worked for almost sixty years, we have a new Center for Digital Thriving. I recommend that readers explore that helpful resource. https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu
Could knowing about multiple intelligences help with autism?
Certainly, anyone who works with children on the autistic spectrum should know about different conceptions of mind, intelligence, emotions, social relations. As it happens, individuals on the autistic spectrum are often quite musical or spatial or numerical—and those intelligences can serve as effective ‘entry points’ for communicating with the child and for helping the child to communicate with others. Those intelligences can often help a child understand other individuals better and know how to communicate with them effectively. Many people on the spectrum have become effective communicators through their mobilization of other, stronger intelligences.
Finally, please tell us why we, adults, should know more about the “multiple intelligences theory”.
(Note that it is PLURAL—multiple intelligences theory) I hope that all adults are curious about what scholars have learned about human beings and human potentials, and how this knowledge can be used to nurture individuals who are happier, more productive, more likely to behave ethically and morally. No single theory can provide all the answers; but I am confident in saying that anyone who reads through my collections of papers will understand others better—and, equally important, understand themselves better as well!
Dario Ruggiero
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