A Synthesizing Mind: A Memoir from the Creator of Multiple Intelligences Theory

by Howard Gardner

The influential author and eminent authority on the human mind reflects on his groundbreaking work and the many forms of intelligence--including his own.Howard Gardner's Frames of Mind was that rare publishing phenomenon--a mind-changer. Widely read by the general public as well as by educators, this influential book laid out Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. It debunked the primacy of the IQ test and inspired new approaches to education; entire curricula, schools, museums, and parents' guides were dedicated to the nurturing of the several intelligences. In his new book, A Synthesizing Mind, Gardner reflects on his intellectual development and his groundbreaking work, tracing his evolution from bookish child to eager college student to disengaged graduate student to Harvard professor.

Genres: Psychology, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Education, Science, Autobiography

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2020

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. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero. Among numerous honors, Gardner received a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1981. He has received honorary degrees from 26 colleges and universities, including institutions in Bulgaria, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, and South Korea. In 2005 and again in 2008, he was selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of the 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world. The author of 25 books translated into 28 languages, and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be adequately assessed by standard psychometric instruments.

During the past two decades, Gardner and colleagues at Project Zero have been involved in the design of performance-based assessments; education for understanding; the use of multiple intelligences to achieve more personalized curriculum, instruction, and pedagogy; and the quality of interdisciplinary efforts in education. Since the middle 1990s, in collaboration with psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and William Damon, Gardner has directed the GoodWork Project-- a study of work that is excellent, engaging, and ethical. More recently, with long time Project Zero colleagues Lynn Barendsen and Wendy Fischman, he has conducted reflection sessions designed to enhance the understanding and incidence of good work among young people. With Carrie James and other colleagues at Project Zero, he is also investigating the nature of trust in contemporary society and ethical dimensions entailed in the use of the new digital media. Among new research undertakings are a study of effective collaboration among non-profit institutions in education and a study of conceptions of quality, nationally and internationally, in the contemporary era. In 2008 he delivered a set of three lectures at New York's Museum of Modern Art on the topic "The True, The Beautiful, and The Good: econsiderations in a post-modern, digital era."

from http://www.howardgardner.com/bio/bio....

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where I nerd out. Dr. Gardner, a colleague in higher education and one of my favorite authors on human behavior and cognition, has written a memoir of his scholarly study. How he thinks… how he goes about his curiosities. Of course I loved it!

[Matt Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In A Synthesizing Mind, Howard Gardner reflects on his journey as a thinker, synthesizer, and creator of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI). Throughout the memoir, Gardner shares insights into the development of his ideas and the challenges he faced in a field that often sought to confine him to one label—the “Multiple Intelligences Guy.” This memoir reveals Gardner’s desire to explore and express his ideas beyond the constraints of any single framework and offers invaluable guidance on what it takes to cultivate a synthesizing mind.

Breaking Out of Boxes: Gardner’s Academic Journey
Gardner begins the book by addressing the frustration he felt about being narrowly defined by his work on MI. Though his MI Theory became foundational in education, Gardner aspired to pursue a variety of unrelated projects. In his view, being pigeonholed limited his freedom to explore his diverse intellectual interests. As a result, Gardner spent his career actively resisting any single frame or label, even when academia seemed determined to keep him within certain boundaries.

In his early years, Gardner encountered the rigid nature of the academic world. He shares an anecdote about questioning a professor in developmental psychology, a moment that captures the academic pressure to conform and accept established ideas. Such experiences only fueled his determination to pursue a more integrative and cross-disciplinary approach, a mindset he later came to identify as the “synthesizing mind.”

Gardner also discusses his aversion to standardized testing, particularly multiple-choice formats, which he believes don’t accurately reflect a learner’s true understanding. He argues that true assessment should go beyond mere right-or-wrong answers and should instead evaluate a person’s practical abilities and the depth of their understanding. As an educator myself, I find Gardner’s perspective resonates deeply; tests that measure rote memory often fail to capture a student's capacity to apply knowledge in meaningful ways. This idea connects to Gardner’s MI Theory, which recognizes that intelligence manifests in a variety of forms—musical, spatial, interpersonal, and more—not just in traditional academic skills.

The Synthesizing Mind: What It Is and Why It Matters
Gardner’s memoir is not just a personal history; it’s also a guide to developing a synthesizing mind, a skill Gardner believes is invaluable for creating meaningful connections across disciplines. He identifies common characteristics of the synthesizing mind, including a capacity for critical analysis, an openness to diverse perspectives, and an ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas.

For Gardner, true synthesis goes beyond summarizing ideas in one’s own words. Instead, it involves a deeper level of critique, questioning, and integration. Gardner emphasizes that synthesizing on paper and synthesizing orally are distinct skills; writing demands clarity and structure, while speaking requires strong communication skills and an ability to articulate ideas fluidly. Gardner himself often found that he didn’t fully understand what he thought until he wrote it down, a sentiment I resonate with as I work to develop my own synthesizing skills.

The process of synthesis, Gardner explains, is not a one-time task but rather a continuous journey that can lead to new insights and transformative discoveries. His own journey from his first book—a straightforward compilation of research findings—to his groundbreaking work on MI exemplifies this process. Initially, his writing involved integrating existing knowledge, but as he progressed, he was able to create entirely new frameworks. His work on MI represents a “mass synthesis” of diverse information, creating a novel approach to understanding intelligence.

Intellectual Freedom and Global Perspectives
Gardner’s exploration of ideas was not confined to his home country. As he began researching in different cultures, he was struck by the universal aspects of humanity. Although cultural practices and traditions vary, Gardner argues that human beings, fundamentally, are the same. This realization further reinforced his belief in the value of a synthesizing mind, which can bridge cultural divides and foster greater understanding among diverse groups. Gardner’s global research perspective resonates with the idea that we are all part of one species, united by common threads despite our differences.

Gardner also expresses strong convictions regarding intellectual property. He believes that knowledge should be freely accessible rather than monetized. His choice not to commercialize MI reflects his view that intellectual contributions should benefit society broadly, not just the individual creator. This altruistic stance aligns with Gardner’s commitment to knowledge as a public good, an attitude that many aspiring educators and thinkers might find inspiring.

Synthesizers in a World of AI
In a thought-provoking reflection, Gardner discusses the relevance of the synthesizing mind in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. While AI is becoming adept at processing and organizing vast amounts of information, Gardner maintains that true synthesis requires the nuanced insights and judgments of a human mind. Synthesizers don’t just collect information; they evaluate and interpret it, sifting through criticisms and diverse perspectives to uncover meaningful truths. This process demands a level of depth that, according to Gardner, AI cannot yet achieve.
Moreover, Gardner stresses that the synthesizing mind doesn’t rely solely on data. True synthesis involves a sensitivity to context and an understanding of complex human motivations and values. A skilled synthesizer can recognize the validity of various viewpoints while also discerning gaps and potential improvements. In a world where information is abundant but meaning is often elusive, the synthesizing mind is invaluable, particularly as a tool for educators, leaders, and lifelong learners.

Conclusion
Howard Gardner’s A Synthesizing Mind is both a memoir and a manual for cultivating a mind capable of connecting, questioning, and creating. He offers a vision of intellectual life that embraces freedom, curiosity, and a commitment to public good. Gardner’s reflections on his career and the development of MI are encouraging to those seeking to think beyond conventional boundaries.
This book is not only a compelling read for educators but also a practical guide for anyone interested in learning to synthesize across domains. Gardner’s insights offer strategies to integrate knowledge in ways that deepen understanding and spur innovation. For me, A Synthesizing Mind is a reminder of the importance of viewing education as a dynamic, ever-evolving process—one that requires us not just to absorb information but to engage critically with it, applying our knowledge in ways that enrich both our lives and the lives of others.

[Erhardt Graeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Gardner is a mentor of mine. So it was with personal interest that I picked up this memoir to learn a little bit about the scholar I worked for at Project Zero a decade ago. His voice really comes through in this book. I can hear his didactic tone but also the levity when he cracks a bit of a dad joke. I like the structure of the book around his intellectual development and the set of experiences that contribute to recognizing and using his "synthesizing mind." I came away with a deeper appreciation for Howard and the opportunity to work alongside him and learn from him.

There are also some valuable insights in this book for scholars trying to make sense of their own work, especially ideas that take on a life of their own, such as his theory of multiple intelligences. Howard is rightfully proud of his work despite its misinterpretation and misuse. Fortunately, his curiosity is his guide and his deeply held principles delineate a path toward richer research and applications of his attention toward practical ends in education that have served many people well. I really loved how he acknowledged that projects can fail and some endeavors just simply end, but that there is value in the relationships developed and the people touched by even a short-term effort like the MI-based schools he writes about.

For me, the book was a quick read. And as I am also an academic, there was much wisdom in this meta-narrative from a leading light in the social sciences (or "social relations"). May I maintain his tenacity and curiosity in my own work and keep avoiding disciplinary silos.

[Donna Herrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read Gardner's Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences while I was in recovery from a traumatic brain injury. I had observed that I could still be highly inventive at work, but that I needed a lot of support to present my ideas. I could draw, but I struggled to speak. I could lead brainstorming meetings, but I could not take notes or make a schedule. Gardner's book helped me to understand that there are multiple intelligences and that we each have a blend of these intelligences. This understanding has helped me to seek to enable my teammates to maximize the utilization of their talents.

I think that I too have a synthesizing mind. I was hoping to understand more about how to utilize this talent. But this interesting memoir is more like a self-assessment than a synthesis of how synthesizing minds work. This felt like a first step in a new work about the human mind. It was interesting, but not really revelatory.

[Andrew Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intellectual biography in the sense of "how do I think", rather than simply "what did I read/do".

I admit to hardly knowing of Gardner's work prior to reading this book - it came on a recommended list from someone whose contributions I admire - but I came away appreciating this quick tour through a scholars' history and approach to their work.

Early on, I found myself quickly associating with Gardner's concept of having a Synthesizing Mind. I was reading a book on military strategy at the same time I read Gardner's book, having just finished a biography of a 19th century orator and politician, and my own research barges across disciplinary boundaries in a way that makes some of my colleagues cringe. So the idea of broad reading and attempting to find common threads certainly appeals.

Of course, I suspect most readers of the book also come to see themselves in similar terms. Either through self-selection biases, or simply because Gardner's view of what is a synthesizing mind seems quite broad. Other than the stereotypical scholar who studies only Catholic fabric designs in Milan from 1493-1494, most scholarship involves at least some creative synthesis, either of a field as a set up to a problem, or in developing their specific solution.

Still, I enjoyed this open and thoughtful take on someone who has both been very successful, and is willing to write about how they did it, their own surprise at their success, their way of thinking about that success (including effective boredom with their most famous contributions), and a defense of the life of the mind, especially via publicly engaging books. One who does not proclaim to have discovered 'the truth' but is proud to have simply tried to move the conversation forward, putting it in a new and compelling light for others and the next generation to in turn refashion and continue on. A worthy goal for scholars everywhere.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest opinion.

I'm glad to have read this memoir by such a well-known name in so many fields. Howard Gardner's contributions to research are innumerable, the most well known being his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This memoir, however is one that is undoubtedly written by an academic. It's relatively short in page length but it's dense language, and not for the casual reader.

[Misa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of my modest review.

This was a scholar memoir and not a very personal intimate autobiography because Howard Gardner as he said led a life of the mind.
I learnt about The Theory of Multiple Intellingences or about Howard Gardner when I took a class of Psycho - Cognitive, I also discovered Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. I loved that class and I took great pleasure while doing the assignments that the teacher gave out.

This book was an ocean of information about multiple things. I don't know how I could review such an amazing book and mainly such a great academic researcher and scholar. There are so many teachers that I would like them to read this book for many "reasons".

In this memoir, H.Gardner introduced his family, who escaped the Nazy Germany and led a new life in America then he starts to speak about his education, his academic life, and how he became a researcher and then how he developed his famous theory and about his Synthesizing mind. We also learn about his mentors, the people who inspired him in his ways of thinking and researching. Like Edmund Wilson who as he said wrote elegantly and Richard Hofstadter who wrote powerfully, his authorial heroes, also Erik Erikson. He wrote about how he enjoyed his college years and about Harvard and (Soc Rel) Social Relations department and how it affected him because he mentioned it several times.

I loved this :
" We remain broad synthesizers in a world of disciplinarians, all too often very narrow ones."

He was a mentee that any mentor would dream about for his love of learning that new no limits.

"My unquenchable thirst for knowledge - a feature, indeed a gift, dating back to my earliest childhood - put me in good stead."

But he also faced some incidents like the one with Milgram and we know about this kind of teachers

" I learned in Academia, as in other spheres, you can be attacked without reason and viciously, and you cannot count on others to defend you."

I loved this quote by Nelson Goodman whom he worked with on the Project Zero
"When I read something, as soons as I come to a line that does not make sense, I stop reading."

Also this quote by the renowned British intellectual historian Isaiah Berlin who devided scholars into two types saing; " The fox knows many little things, the hedgehog knows one big thing."

Gardner wrote about how he had benefited, as he said, from the opportunity to emulate particular aspects of particular mentors or as he named it " Fag - mentoring" from great scholars like J. Bruner and so many others.

For Gardner, his only important contribution to the experimental science was his work on the nonliteral language and the brain. He wrote about his success as well as about his failures which led him to the work for which he is best known: The Theory of Multiple Intellingences. He talks about what he faced good or bad after the publication of Frames of Mind and the MI theory. The big attention that it got from all around the world from critics to admirers and fervent believers in his theory. Also, he said that this book has been to provide perspective on the role of MI in his scholarly life.

" I think of myself as a lapsed psychologist, as a systematic social thinker, and above all, as a synthesier of knowledge about human beings and the human mind for most of the rest of the world, I am an educator, or educationalist."

Then Gardner, writes about his book Five Minds and what are explicitly these different minds then he mainly speaks about the synthesizing mind and how synthesizing is based on data and that it occurs across many domains of practice and he explains that synthesis depends crucially on the quality of the questions asked and on the reasons that they are being asked with examples. Through these chapters Gardner shows and explains for us how a synthesizing mind works.

I loved this book and mainly because I was a fan of The M I Theory, I wanted to know who was the great Howard Gardner. This book was inspiring in many ways. How you should believe in what you want to be and how much it's important in anyone's life to be well surrounded. I hope that my humble review will be accepted because who am I to review such an eminent scholar. Thank you for this great opportunity.

[Annie Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howard Gardner, who has done so much to illuminate the “kinds of minds” possessed by the rest of us, explores the nature of his own mind in his captivating new book. In particular, he examines what he calls “the synthesizing mind”—which is, he writes, “the capacity to take in a lot of information, reflect on it, and then organize it in a way that is useful to you and (if you are skilled and fortunate) that also proves useful to others.” Gardner quotes the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann saying that “in the twenty-first century, the most important kind of mind will be the synthesizing mind,” and Gardner himself makes a strong case for the truth of this statement. Today we face an overwhelming onslaught of information; we desperately need people who are able, as Gardner puts it, “to arrange and rearrange those data, until they find a solution that is adequate, accurate, communicable, and, as a bonus, aesthetically pleasing.” The author shares some intriguing speculations about the origins of the synthesizing mind—pointing, in his own case, to his interest in and facility with music (he sees writing as akin to “the creation of a symphonic composition”), and to his “naturalist” impulses to label and classify the phenomena he observes around him. Most interesting of all, to me, are his reflections on “educating for synthesizing”—that is, how we might train students in this essential skill. Instructors could model the act of synthesizing for their students; direct students to analyze successful syntheses, as well as those that fail; and assign “challenges of synthesis” so that students can have the experience of synthesizing for themselves. By plumbing the depths of his own mind, Gardner has produced an enlightening and inspiring account of a capacity we can all work to cultivate in ourselves

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. I loved reading this. Obviously, I’m a fan of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory. And, perhaps, a bigger fan of his work on “Good Work” (The Good Project: how excellence, engagement, and ethics combine when we find good work.) This was a fascinating memoir about how his mind works, and how he took an unconventional academic path that allowed him to let his mind do the incredible work of synthesizing that he does. His explanation of this work and his writing process was compelling and inspiring. He chose to write books, not academic articles. Books for “the intelligent general reader.” Well, thank you, Howard Gardner. (He notes he is a fan of the fan letter; perhaps I’ll write him one myself.) I was unaware of his early work on metaphoric thinking and so many other side projects. I like the humble and generous and self-preserving way he’s handled the legacy of his MI work: deciding never to monetize it, working at times to correct misuses/misunderstandings of it, but also being completely okay with moving on to other projects and interests. This is not a long book; I read it in a weekend. Highly recommended if you have an interest in this kind of social science/psychology/education/ethics topic.

[Răzvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

citEști „Mintea sintetizatoare” de Howard Gardner: O aventură a minții
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJI3...

„Ca om de știință, după ce m-am decis asupra unui substantiv, aveam nevoie și de o definiție a cuvântului inteligență”(p.144) „Mintea sintetizatoare- Memoriile creatorului teoriei inteligențelor multiple” de Howard Gardner, traducere Karin Iulia Ștefanof, Silvia Berdan, editura Sigma, 2021
Teorii mai găsești dar povestea lor la persoana întâi e o aventură de care ai parte mai rar. „Mintea sintetizatoare” de Howard Gardner îți oferă un tur de forță prin memoriile creatorului teoriei inteligențelor multiple. Modul în care a reușit un om de știință nu doar să își formuleze investigația pe teritoriul psihologiei te cucerește. Mai ales că este vorba și despre momentele în care părea că a eșuat ori de interpretările eronate ale mizelor pe care le urmărește lucrarea sa.
„Citirea și scrierea nu reprezintă o simplă transcriere a ceea ce ascultăm și vorbim; sunt coduri complexe cu propriile reguli, proceduri și capcane” (p.127) „Mintea sintetizatoare- Memoriile creatorului teoriei inteligențelor multiple” de Howard Gardner, traducere Karin Iulia Ștefanof, Silvia Berdan, editura Sigma, 2021

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

For longer than I can remember, I told friends that I predict, when historians write the history of the 20th century, they will conclude that one of the dumbest things was how people believed intelligence could be measured with a number. I had heard of Howard Gardner and associated him with Emotional Intelligence (incorrectly as it turns out. That term was his friend, the science writer, Dan Goleman). Gardner came up with Multiple Intelligences. Glad I read this memoir to understand his own development, or the development of his ideas, and his take on the firestorm of reactions that followed his groundbreaking work. When reading about his concept of a Synthesizing Mind (there are types of minds), I couldn't help but wonder whether that description fits me, too. Other readers may have the same question. I can't remember a memoir of another great thinker that took this approach to examine his own mind. But then, Gardner has always forged his own path. Bravo to him!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selfishly, I loved this book because Gardner reminds me of myself at a young age. He was lucky enough to pursue his love in his fields of interest unrestrained, while I ended up caring for children and being pulled into the family business just as I was starting my academic career. I am somewhat jealous because he lived the life that I felt I was meant for. Still, I enjoyed reading his book. It may have been a little dry at times when he was discussing theory, but it was not dry enough to keep me from enjoying the book. A great read for other synthesizing minds.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but way too long and too detailed imho. I'm a psychology teacher and very interested in the overall subject and Gardner's theories. However, I was not as interested in all of the projects, foundations, and funding, which seemed to go on for chapters. The parts about his early background- family, high school and college years was intriguing and the section on MI theory was fascinating. Overall, the book was just too long and detailed, especially if the target audience is the general public.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though his theories have led to further conversation of late, Howard Gardner presents a story that is remarkably personal in this book.

I enjoyed the nature of A Synthesizing Mind as both a memoir, and as an educational text for sparking discussion. I most appreciate the way Gardner considers self as learner and reflects on his experiences as teacher and learner.

Well worth the read, and recommended for both teachers and students.

[I-Chen Tsai · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://i-chentsai.innovarad.tw/2022/...

《統合心智》：你的孩子有那些獨特才華，以及他日後可能有怎樣的成功？

加德納的一生，一直在抗拒別人對他的規範與限制。音樂天分好，但拒絕成為專業演奏家；適合學術研究，但卻拒絕正在成為主流的實驗量化路線；也能寫論文，但卻更積極用書本呈現想法；被認為是多元智能的開創者，卻拒絕針對這個框架去深化。

但加德納最終成功了，活出了一個獨特且有意思的人生，更重要的是，這個過程中，重要的決定都是自己做的，而且最終都因灌注了熱情，而留下有趣的成果。

教養，也該是一樣的。

孩子的獨特，怎麼可能用幾個科目的分數、幾個量表的評估，就認為我們能完整評估了呢？人是那麼的獨特，獨特到今日科學對意識與智力的理解都相當有限。各種考試、量表、評估，都只是圍繞著大象身邊的各種瞎子，各自摸到他們所能摸到的一個角落，做出一些描述、打出一些分數。

但我們的孩子，是那隻獨特的大象。

[Gints Dreimanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was strong in the first half.

[Ernestas Poskus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more autobiographical than about topic of multiple intelligences.