Transition Times: There's more than one kind of intelligence. What's yours?
No 7: Logical-mathematical intelligence
John Nash, the tortured genius played by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind (right), saw patterns and logic emerging from the most illogical places, chiefly in the hallucinations thrown up by his ailing mind. Not everyone with logical-mathematical intelligence is troubled by strange imaginings, however, and historically this form of intelligence is the most respected and best documented of Dr Howard Gardner's eight multiple intelligences.
Logical-mathematical thinkers tend to perform well in IQ tests, because many of the questions involve spotting patterns and solving problems. They are well equipped to understand abstract relations and to mentally map out theoretical concepts. Scientists, mathematicians and philosophers all rely on this intelligence. They can test theories mentally or on paper, examining possible outcomes to problems and solutions until they find something that works - the aha! factor, as Gardner describes it.
We all display this intelligence to a certain degree, even those of us who claim to be hopeless at maths. Everyday questions, such as what time you need to get up to be showered and ready to leave the house to be on time for the bus, involve abstract mapping of imagined scenarios to settle on the best approaches. Many of us are intimidated by maths as it seems so alien to everyday experience. In fact it is shorthand for the kind of calculations we make all the time.
Before multiple-intelligence theory emerged, in the 1970s, logical-mathematical intelligence was considered the only real intelligence, the "raw intellect" of Plato and Einstein. Now it is understood to be part of a wider set of intelligences that we all share to varying degrees.
People with highly developed logical-mathematical intelligence tend to handle maths and science projects easily but may struggle with less concrete material in the arts and humanities.
It's a question of finding the right approach and using your strong suits to tackle subjects you find challenging. Logical students may see patterns in history or find map-reading in geography a breeze. Mathematical students may see poetry in numbers, art in science.
Leonardo da Vinci had a highly developed logical-mathematical intelligence, but he did not see it as separate from his passion for art (aka spatial intelligence). He blended the two and revolutionised the way we think about both.
