Product Description
We live in a time of relentless change. The only thing that?s certain is that new challenges and opportunities will emerge that are virtually unimaginable today. How can we know which skills will be required to succeed?
In Five Minds for the Future, bestselling author Howard Gardner shows how we will each need to master "five minds" that the fast-paced future will demand:
-The disciplined mind, to learn at least one profession, as well as the major thinking (science, math, history, etc.) behind it
-The synthesizing mind, to organize the massive amounts of information and communicate effectively to others
-The creating mind, to revel in unasked questions - and uncover new phenomena and insightful apt answers
-The respectful mind, to appreciate the differences between human beings - and understand and work with all persons
-The ethical mind, to fulfill one's responsibilities as both a worker and a citizen
Without these "minds," we risk being overwhelmed by information, unable to succeed in the workplace, and incapable of the judgment needed to thrive both personally and professionally.
Complete with a substantial new introduction, Five Minds for the Future provides valuable tools for those looking ahead to the next generation of leaders - and for all of us striving to excel in a complex world.
Howard Gardner - cited by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the one hundred most influential public intellectuals in the world, and a MacArthur Fellowship recipient - is the Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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.
About the Author
Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and twenty-one honorary degrees, he is the author of more than twenty books, including Changing Minds, Good Work, and Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons
Editorial Reviews
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.
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