REVIEW: "You Can Do More Than You Think", Thomas Armstrong

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It so happens that you open a book and think: “Why didn't I meet her earlier, when I was younger? Maybe I would have chosen another profession or tried a new hobby …”This book is just one of this category.

What is multiple intelligences theory?

The theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by Dr. Howard Gardner. It contrasts with the traditional notion that a person's intelligence can be measured using an IQ test. Dr. Gardner believes that this approach is irrational, because there are many examples of how a person with a developed intelligence shows modest results during the test.

Among such people there are businessmen, researchers, representatives of creative professions.

In his theory of multiple intelligences, Dr. Gardner identified eight (in some cases nine) categories:

linguistic intelligence;
musical intelligence;
logical and mathematical intelligence;
spatial intelligence;
bodily kinesthetic intelligence;
interpersonal intelligence;
personal intelligence;
the intelligence of a natural scientist.

As the ninth type of intelligence, Gardner suggests "worldly wisdom," or philosophical intelligence.

In You Can Do More Than You Think, each type of intelligence is presented to the reader. Author Thomas Armstrong spent 25 years studying the work of Dr. Gardner. Having written several books for adult readers, Armstrong decided this time to appeal to a younger audience.

Thomas Armstrong described each type of intelligence separately, answering simple questions: what it is, how it is useful, how to recognize this type of intelligence in yourself and how to develop your abilities.

Practical advice is an important part of each section. For example, the author explains which profession is most suitable for a person with a particular type of intelligence.

In addition, the author gives simple and clear advice on developing one's abilities and, more importantly, on solving certain problems. For example, if a person's linguistic intelligence is not developed, Armstrong suggests where to find inspiration for self-development, how to overcome difficulties with public speaking or writing text.

Why is this book needed?

The main idea of the book is to break the long-standing idea that there is a concept “this is not mine”. This phrase is often uttered not only by adults, but also by children, prematurely giving up a lot of opportunities.

The author deliberately uses the conviction of many that some talents are not available to them. As if reading the mind of someone who picked up a book, he immediately offers practical ways to change the idea of his abilities.

The emphasis is on the fact that each type of intelligence is another way to be smarter.

This means that this is not an ephemeral talent or a senseless skill, this is a real opportunity to get the profession you dream about, or to stand out from the rest.

Of course, this book can serve as an excellent catalyst for a young reader who is at a crossroads and is not confident in his own capabilities. It is probably too late to give it into the hands of a person who is about to choose a university and a future specialty. But if it is opened by a schoolboy who is just beginning to think about “what he wants to become when he grows up,” he will learn a lot about himself.

At the same time, Armstrong invites the reader not to stop there, because the beauty of the theory of multiple intelligences lies in its unlimitedness.

According to the theory of multiple intelligences, there may be other types of intelligence - it's just that no one has yet classified them. Which means you have even more ways to be smarter than you think! I will list just a few of the supposed "complementary" types of intelligence: creative, humor, culinary, olfactory, mechanic intelligence, intuitive, psychic, technical.

Thomas Armstrong

Among the disadvantages of the book are several weak arguments presented in some sections. For example, the author voices a question that is quite relevant for a modern teenager: what to do if you absolutely do not want to read books, and the text seems incredibly boring. As a solution to this problem, Armstrong proposes the following:

… remember how great it is that you can do all this! These signs on paper, these sounds that you make - aren't they a miracle?

Thomas Armstrong

In my opinion, this argument is unlikely to work for those children who have a hard time pushing themselves to open the book. Otherwise, the author manages to find good advice, ideas and activities for those who want to develop their as yet undiscovered talents.