Multiple Intelligence and the Structure of Thinking

We argue that Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is surprisingly analogous to the theory of intelligence implied in the ancient Chinese educational program of the ‘Six Arts’, even though there are also important differences between them. Although we regard components of intellectual structure as multiple, our theory of intelligence is also different from Gardner’s. In this paper we (1) compare Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and the theory of intelligence implied in the Six Arts education of ancient China, and (2) analyze Lin Chongde’s theory of intelligence and his perspective that the components of intellectual structure are diverse.