Howard Gardner

John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education · Author, Frames of Mind and A Synthesizing Mind · MacArthur Prize Fellow and Grawemeyer Award recipient

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What does it mean to be smart when AI systems can out-learn us? Howard Gardner, who redefined intelligence once already, helps leaders answer that question for their own organizations.

Future of Work Behavioral Science Communication & Influence Data & Analytics Generative AI Workforce Transformation

Cambridge, United States

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Beyond Wit and Grit: Rethinking the Keys to Success | Howard Gardner | TEDxBeaconStreet

December 2015

Bio

About Howard Gardner

Howard Gardner changed how the world defines intelligence. His 1983 book Frames of Mind introduced the theory of multiple intelligences, the idea that human intellect is not a single number but a plural set of capacities.

His current work asks what it means to be smart when machines process information faster than we do. "What it meant to be smart was constant until the 21st century," he says. "No one, except for science fiction writers, anticipated large language models that would rapidly exceed human beings by most definitions of intellect." Gardner's answer centers on synthesis: the capacity to take in large amounts of information, organize and reorganize it, and produce insight on complex problems. He studies how to train that capacity in schools and workplaces, and how to intertwine it with the synthesizing power, and possible biases, of computational systems. His intellectual memoir, A Synthesizing Mind, traces the idea across his own career. He is also leading a research project on how education, from cradle to grave, needs to be reconceptualized and reconfigured in the age of ever more powerful AI entities.

Topics

Howard's Keynote Topics

What makes people successful? The common-sense answer is “wit” (how smart you are) and “grit” (how hard you work). But the story is not so simple, says Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner. First, research on human cognition makes it clear that we have not one but many intelligences and ways of being “smart,” and so our concept of wit needs to be pluralized – “wits.” Second, while successful people do work hard in order to persevere, hard work can also be put to evil purposes; for example, Hitler’s army had plenty of grit. Therefore, we need to qualify grit as “good grit” that is marshaled toward positive ends for others and for society. In this presentation, Gardner describes an education framework that makes positive use of our wits and our good grit, and provides concrete suggestions about how to move toward a society that is both wise and caring.

Increasingly, our world is being driven by digitally synthesized information (data) that dictates how we think, learn, consume, work and live. While algorithms, AI and robots help improve efficiency, Howard Gardner’s research confirms the human mind is the key driver of innovation, creativity and progress. Drawing on discoveries shared in his book A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of the Multiple Intelligences Theory and decades of related research, this presentation offers people at all levels of an organization a rare opportunity to learn lessons about how to value, retain and expand on the capabilities of their own mind to enhance how they work, learn, teach, create and innovate. Gardner’s message is clear: the power of machine thinking comes in second to that of the human mind, and he shows participants why this is so and how to leverage their own brilliance.

We are all inundated with information every day, which makes it easier, but not wiser, to relegate decisions to other entities – including powerful algorithms and deep learning. But the human capacity to synthesize is valuable, says Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner, and it should not be assigned to a non-human intelligence. Rather, we should try to understand what synthesizing is and how to cultivate that ability in the workplace and at school. Psychology has thus far dropped the ball on understanding synthesis, probably because it can’t be easily simulated in an experiment or probed in short answer tests. Gardner encourages leaders and educators to explicitly recognize the synthesizing mind and consider the steps needed to cultivate it. During this presentation, he helps participants examine what they are doing when it comes to processing information and making decisions and shows them how they can do it differently, and perhaps better.

Why is it that some people are able to take information from various sources and combine them to come up with new ideas – and can this skill be learned? Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner, the pioneering mind behind the theory of multiple intelligences, offers a groundbreaking perspective on synthesizing disparate forms of knowledge to innovate and thrive, even as technology is rapidly advancing. Engaging, optimistic and uplifting, Gardner’s insights into human capabilities and synthesis present a solution for leaders aiming to leverage the full potential of their workforce in the age of AI. One of the world’s most influential thinkers, Gardner first explains the internal processes synthesizers use to bring information together, then reveals to leaders how they can foster an environment where innovation flourishes through the integration of diverse intelligences and technology. Participants will leave equipped with strategies to cultivate a synthesizing mindset which is essential for leading in an era when collaboration between human intelligence and artificial intelligence will define success.

For centuries, the world has depended on professions and professionals—ranging from doctors, lawyers and accountants, to teachers, social workers and architects. High-level professional work is more important than ever. Yet the traditional professions, says Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner, are under enormous pressures. Among the disrupting factors are the tendency to label everything a profession; the likelihood that many, if not most, tasks traditionally carried out by professionals can now be carried out by intelligent machines; and the copious examples of unprofessional behavior by licensed professionals.

Based on two decades of research, Gardner discusses each of these threats to professionalism and the future of work, how they should be responded to by leaders at all levels of an organization, and what it means to behave professionally and trustworthily in a post-professional world.

For over twenty years, Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Howard Gardner and his colleagues have studied the qualities that make good people, good workers and good citizens. Their research on The Good Project explores the triple helix of “the good”: Excellence, Engagement and Ethics, the components of good work and good citizenship. The Good Project team has used these lenses to explore a variety of related themes including digital citizenship and the effects of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media on human interactions, effective collaboration, and civic participation. Based on this extensive conceptualization and research, Gardner’s team has developed practical frameworks and curricular toolkits to help people teach, learn and do good, both in school and in the workplace. In this talk, Gardner provides a history and overview of this line of his work, and then focuses on practical implications and tools that help in the pursuit of “the good.”

Research & Writing