Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead

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Product Description

We live in a time of vast changes. And those changes call for entirely new ways of learning and thinking. In Five Minds for the Future: Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead:

• the disciplinary mind—mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history) and of at least one professional craft
• the synthesizing mind—ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others
• the creating mind—capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions, and phenomena
• the respectful mind—awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups
• the ethical mind—fulfillment of one’s responsibilities as a worker and citizen

World-renowned for his theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner takes that thinking to the next level in this book, drawing from a wealth of diverse examples to illuminate his ideas. Concise and engaging, Five Minds for the Future will inspire lifelong learning in any reader as well as provide valuable insights for those charged with training and developing organizational leaders—both today and tomorrow.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4141 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-03
• Released on: 2007-04-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 196 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Psychologist, author and Harvard professor Gardner (Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons) has put together a thought-provoking, visionary attempt to delineate the kinds of mental abilities ("minds") that will be critical to success in a 21st century landscape of accelerating change and information overload. Gardner's five minds-disciplined, synthesizing, creating, respectful and ethical-are not personality types, but ways of thinking available to anyone who invests the time and effort to cultivate them: "how we should use our minds." In presenting his "values enterprise," Gardner uses a variety of explanatory models, from developmental psychology to group dynamics, demonstrating their utility not just for individual development, but for tangible success in a full range of human endeavors, including education, business, science, art, politics and engineering. A tall order for a single work, Gardner avoids overly-technical arguments as well as breezy generalizations, putting to fine use his twenty years experience as a cognitive science researcher, author and educator, and proving his world-class reputation well-earned. Though specialists might wish Gardner dug a bit more into the research, most readers will find the book lively and engaging, like the fascinating lectures of a seasoned, beloved prof.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"...a detailed and thoughtful description of the multifaceted brains that are likely to be most valued in the coming decades." --BusinessWeek, May 7, 2007

From the Back Cover
The world of the future will demand capacities that, until now, have been mere options. Have you begun developing those capacities-in yourself and others?

We live in a time of vast changes that include accelerating globalization, mounting quantities of information, the growing hegemony of science and technology, and the clash of civilizations. Those changes call for new ways of learning and thinking in school, business and the professions. In Five Minds for the Future, noted psychologist Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead:

the disciplinary mind-mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history)and of at least one professional craft

the synthesizing mind-ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others

the creating mind-capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions, and phenomena

the respectful mind-awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings

the ethical mind-fulfillment of one's responsibilities as a worker and a citizen

Armed with these well-honed capacities, a person will be equipped to deal with what is expected in the future-as well as what cannot be anticipated. Without these "minds", individuals will be at the mercy of forces they can't understand-overwhelmed by information, unable to succeed in the workplace, and incapable of making judicious decisions about personal and professional manners.

Renowned worldwide for his theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner takes that thinking to the next level in this book. Concise and engaging, Five Minds for the Future will inspire lifelong learning in any reader and provide valuable insights for those charged with training and developing organizational leaders-today and tomorrow.

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Customer Reviews

outstanding book
This book by Gardner is one of the most important about education and personal development.The concepts are new and well described.A book worth reading and rereading.

Five Minds for the Technology Professional
Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a psychologist and author known for his theory of multiple intelligences. Application of his theory, especially for education, has been controversial. But I think his latest book, Five Minds for the Future, is a must read for technology professionals.

His thesis is that, "...vast changes that include accelerating globalization, mounting quantities of information, the growing hegemony of science and technology, and the clash of civilizations," requires, "capabilities that, until now, have been mere options." He describes "Five Minds," or cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead:

1. The Disciplinary Mind -- the mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history) and of at least one professional craft.

2. The Synthesizing Mind -- the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent whole and to communicate that integration to others.

3. The Creating Mind -- the capacity to uncover and clarify new problems, questions and phenomena.

4. The Respectful Mind -- awareness of and appreciation for differences among human beings and human groups.

5. The Ethical Mind -- fulfillment of one's responsibilities as a worker and as a citizen.

While the book is not directed specifically at technology professionals, I found much of what he said echoed characteristics of the most effective people I know: deep domain expertise, intellectual curiosity, creativity, global perspective, knowledge of and respect for diverse cultures, and teamwork. It is and will continue to be possible for anyone with a few of these characteristics to succeed in technology, but I believe those who excel and assume positions of leadership will exhibit all of these abilities.

Insight into five pivotal thinking habits
Howard Gardner is a man of many minds. The Harvard psychologist, MacArthur "genius grant" recipient and prolific author started a revolution when he claimed that human capability couldn't be reduced to a single metric. Rather than accepting IQ as the whole story of cognitive capacity, Gardner said people have "multiple intelligences," a notion he popularized in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence. Twenty-five years later, Gardner is still producing influential work on human mental skills and capabilities. In this clear, eminently useful book, Gardner describes five cognitive capacities that he predicts will be in most demand in the future and which everyone should practice. While he describes them metaphorically as "minds," these forms of thought are neither wholly innate nor immutable. All people can, through diligent practice, cultivate their disciplined mind, their synthesizing mind, their creative mind, their respectful mind and their ethical mind - and they should. Given accelerating technological change and vast increases in the flow of information and the necessity of working closely with many different kinds of people worldwide, getAbstract is of a mind to recommend this book to managers who are trying to think ahead.