MI+B1+Chapter+14

Existential intelligence is possessed by those individuals who seek the answers to the “big questions in life”. Some, including Howard Gardiner, believe that Existentialism should become the ninth intelligence because it meets many of the criteria which are used to establish an intelligence as such. There are some however who believe existentialism has to much religious implication and should not be considered in the classroom.
 * Courtney Burns**
 * Abstract-**

Those who process [|existential intelligences] consider the “[|big questions in life]” such as “Where did we come from?”, “What is store for us?” and “What is the meaning of life”. Currently there is a two sided debate which considers whether or not existential intelligence should be an intelligence at all. On one side of the debate, people believe that there is far to much religious implications involved to be able to include existentialism in the classroom. Some fear that by acknowledging this intelligence in the classroom teachers run the risk of impeding on students religious values and it is best to just avoid this complication. On the other hand, some believe that because existentialism hits many of the criteria (such as cultural value and historical significance) used to evaluate a characteristic as an intelligence. Many believe there are many subjects in school, such as science, math, history and geography, where existential intelligence can be easily i[|ntegrated]. People on this side of the debate believe that by include existentialism as an intelligence, students will be given the opportunity to think deeper, even more critically and consider the ideas and opinions of others.
 * Synthesis-**

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Courtney Burns
This chapter introduces the existential intelligence and the current debate concerning whether or not this intelligence should become an addition to the eight “official” intelligences. Existential intelligence involves seeking the answers to the “ultimate questions of life” such as “who are we?” “What’s it all about?” “Why is there evil?” “Is there meaning in life?” etc. (pg 183). There seems to be a few concerns which stand in the way of titling existentialism as an intelligence, the first being that it has some religious connotations. Teachers (and others) are concerned with potential controversy. Another issue is finding ways to apply this intelligence to the various school subjects. Also assessment can be equally challenging as the application piece. The author does present a number of ways to include existential intelligence in a number of different subject areas. For me the area of particular interest was science. Including existentialism in the science classroom can involve discussing “theories about the origins of the universe, subatomic physics”, and other areas which force the students to consider the unimaginable.

Ben Villeneuve
Chapter 14 of //Multiple Intelligences// discusses a potential ninth intelligence, that of the existential. It discusses the arguments for and against including existential intelligence as one of the intelligences, and goes over ways it could be integrated into the different subject areas. I have an even harder time going with this one than with the naturalist intelligence, because I question the validity of the “deeper questions” it purports to be about. At the same time, I feel those questions will permeate the curriculum that I will be teaching. The problem is they’re just too big. When a person is developing a thesis statement, the advice they are given is often to narrow it down. In the same way, a question like “Why are we here?” is so large that it’s impossible to answer. It should be broken down into manageable chunks, because trying to work out an answer from that impossibly big question is a worthless endeavor.

Shila Cook
Chapter 14, //MI Theory and Existential Intelligence,// was really introducing the idea of a potential ninth intelligence. This intelligence would be Existential Intelligence, or a type of moral intelligence. This chapter then goes on to explain the criteria for an intelligence. There has to be cultural value, developmental history, symbol systems, exceptional individuals, psychometric studies, evolutionary plausibility, and brain research. The last thing that is mentioned is the fact that none of the intelligences involve promoting religion, spirituality, or any specific belief system. This can be taken into teaching where your personal opinions and beliefs are not to be shared in you classroom or at school.

Tim Grivois
The concept of metacognition is interesting, and relates very closely to existential intelligence. Thinking about thinking itself could be the most necessary and essential skill that humans possess. Addressing the essential questions that all people strive to find answers to and seek fulfillment with is a necessary passage of thought that all people must endure at some point. Because it is a lifelong struggle, students and teachers alike must come to terms with it. Gardner talks about existential intelligence in a hypothetical way because he is not sure if it truly falls under the category of multiple intelligences, but seems to meet the criteria in general. The educational application of existential thinking does not seem to be an inherent quality necessary for the classroom but at the same time does have some merit. While existential thought is a necessary step in the betterment of a philosophical mind, I do not know if it carries enough weight on a day to day basis to teach it in the classroom. Existentialism presents itself in many different ways in every subject, but it may be too much of an abstract concept to consider as a context-based subject.

Kay Sue Collins
This chapter talks about the provisional intelligence of existential intelligence. This has to do with an understanding of the more spiritual or philosophical ideas that permeate society. This intelligence cannot be applied to every situation which is why it is still provisional. However there is a place for this in all courses of study. These subject range from the study of quantum physics, and the concepts of zero and infinity, to a study of philosophy, religion, and life and death. History and literature deal very heavily with this intelligence. It is definitely something to consider that there are those who are more attuned to the infinite and eternal nature of our lives and of life itself.

Erika Tingley
This chapter focuses on what may be a ninth intelligence called existential intelligence. Students with this intelligence are those that have a keen sense of life and of the issues surrounding it, as well as an understanding of themselves within the context of the universe. The author of this book makes the point that this intelligence should not be addressed in a separate way like the other intelligences are, but that it should be incorporated into the instruction. As a teacher, I would encourage my students to think about the meaning of life issues in relation to the topics I address in class. Occasionally, this would lend itself to an assignment or some kind of exercise that promoted students to think beyond the topic and into its significance in the world.

Olivia Wandelear
Gardner wrote about the existential intelligence as possibly becoming the ninth official multiple intelligence, because much of the criteria needed to be an official intelligence exists. Existentialism possesses cultural value, history, and exceptional and notable individuals, or savants. Existential intelligence certainly does not just focus on religion or morality, quite taboo subjects in schools, but rather the desire and need to learn more about the world around us, and to answer some of life’s difficult and unanswered questions, like “what is the meaning of life?” and “why are we here?” As a teacher, I could offer connections between existentialism and literature by encouraging my students to consider the moral fabric of the texts they read, and what types of religious or spiritual concerns and ideologies influence the stories. This is a difficult concept to incorporate into the classroom, yet a very fulfilling one if done correctly. Essentially, the idea of an existential intelligence pushed students to delve much deeper into the material, and to actually //think// about what they study, why and how it exists and why it’s so important.

Andy Shorey
Chapter fourteen of Multiple Intelligences is about the thought of a ninth intelligence. Howard Gardner has toyed with idea to put in an intelligence that deals with existential intelligence. The books gives examples as to how this would be a good idea because virtually every topic covered in school can deal with ultimate life issues and could integrate it into the curriculum. However it seems that the author of the book does not like the idea of adding this new intelligence to the eight that already exist because applying this to curriculum could really narrow down what the student would ultimately accomplish and he or she may not get what he or she was supposed to out of the lesson. However it is easy to see that there are aspects of this type of intelligence already in schools. I like the idea of maybe doing a unit on existentialism but I don't think it is a good idea to incorporate it in everyday teaching.

Josh
This chapter introduces a potential ninth intelligence, existential intelligence. This is basically the deep questions about the meaning of life and why are we here. This is a highly spiritual concept and I will struggle with it in the classroom. The class is supposed to be a safe area for all students, when you start adding spirituality and religious thoughts there are going to be people that are uncomfortable. While the bigger questions in life can probably be tied into all subject areas, I think they are extremely personal thoughts and have no place in a public classroom.

Heath
There is currently some debate over the possible inclusion of a ninth intelligence, existential intelligence. I do believe that some humans are more attuned to the larger picture, however I see this as dangerous territory for the classroom environment. Existentialism journeys into areas that lead humans to reflect on topics that have religious implications, and many people have been given the answers to these types of questions within their religions. If the reference to God in the Pledge has parents in an uproar, how would they respond to their children returning home and starting discussions about some of these existentialist topics?

Dylan Stefani
Chapter 14 is a short chapter that suggests there might be a ninth intelligence. The existential intelligence deals with the “ultimate life issues”. Meaning that the questions in life that are hardest to answer such as: the significance of life, death, and love. Gardener considers this the be an intelligence because it fit’s the criteria for an intelligence. It has a cultural value and is documented historically in books and autobiographies. There are symbols used in a system such as Christianity and Buddism in religious structures. The intelligence even has people who are great hosts of this skill such as people with deeper understanding of life or a person who has the capacity to ask existential questions. Gardener goes on to tell about subjects that this intelligence can be shown in and how it benefit’s the subject. I find that being able ask existential questions and being able to answer those questions show that that person can think deeply and focus on what truly matters.

Dan Horne
This chapter is about a potential ninth intelligence called the existential intelligence. This is talking about very large complex questions about life as a whole, basically things you would see in a philosophy class, like “why are we here,” and other meaning of life questions. Most of those are based on beliefs and religion, which are mostly opinion and therefore should not be forced onto students beliefs. In the public schools it in not right to try and force your beliefs onto students, that is why there is a clear separation of religion and education. I believe there is a place and time for those questions but not during class because it does not cover curriculum but rather opinion and faith.

Kasey Darnell
This chapter discussed the possibility of existential intelligence as another area of MI. Howard Gardner defines this type of intelligence as " a concern with ultimate life issues" (Armstrong 182) and those with existential intelligence are people who seem to have a deeper understanding of life's big questions. Next, Armstrong highlighted how existential intelligence could be applied to subjects such as science, math, history, literature, geography and art. I found it difficult to understand how exactly this type of intelligence would manifest itself in a student. To me, it is not as concrete as the other 8 intelligences, and I'm not sure how I would address it in the classroom.

Caitlin Alexander
The fourteenth chapter of //Multiple Intelligences// describes Gardener’s so-called “ninth” intelligence, which is more difficult to grasp than the other eight intelligences, in my opinion. It is the “Existential” intelligence, which is our ability to process or answer the “big” questions in life, such as “Who are we?”, “Where is humanity heading?” and “Is there meaning in life?” (Armstrong 127). The only reason that this is not an official intelligence is because it does not fill all of the criteria that makes an intelligence an intelligence, but it fits most of them. I think that this would be a good intelligence to apply to the classroom intermittently, because there are many good applications of the “Existential” intelligence in the classroom, but it might not have a place in every class. It certainly asks students the “big questions”, and it introduces them (if they haven’t already been introduced) to questions that are open-ended, that may very well never be answered, and that currently have multiple solid answers. It would encourage discussion, critical thinking when applied to the subject, and it would encourage acceptance of the thoughts and ideas of others, and therefore I feel that it would be good to apply this intelligence to the classroom.

Tyler Brookings
"Existential Intelligence" the so called "ninth" sense is touched on in this chapter. Gardner proposed this Intelligence as the one which allows us or those who possess it to answer the big questions in life. The questions which elude most of us, such as, Where did we come from? Whats in store for us? and of course what is the meaning of life? The author goes on in the chapter to enlighten us on which subjects this intelligence could be applied to. Subjects like math, science, history, and geography. All these subjects involve high level questions and thinking. This is one of those theories that is either accepted or denied quite often, and I for one believe in it. People such as Einstein, Hawkins, and many more are people who possess this intelligence. I believe it will be easy to spot when I am in the field.

Kyle Rines
This chapter focuses on the potential ninth intelligence, Existential. This is the most intriguing intelligence that I have heard about to date. I believe that every one of us has a part of themselves that is Existential. I often times catch myself bringing out the 'philosopher' from within. Asking why to every question and material covered in class, what is it's purpose and how does it relate to the world is exactly what and Existentialist does. I'm not sure if it should become an official intelligence, but I know that it is at least very important to practice deep thinking, especially in an English classroom. For some reason when I think of existential learners, I think of Mother Theresa. If I can be a sort of Mother Theresa in my classroom, challenging and seeing the best and vital aspects of real learning, then my students will begin to understand and follow suit. Then I know I will be a successful teacher.