For the final weeks reading we looked at Howard Gardner’s Five Minds For the Future which explores the notions of these five mind sets that we as human beings should and need to adapt in order to survive and progress as a functioning and tolerant society in this ever changing world. Gardner looks towards the future and applies his look into psychological studies claiming that the five minds he speaks of, together as a whole are the winning combination towards how we should mould our minds for the future. These five mind sets are;
- The Disciplinary mind- mastery of major schools of thought (e.g. Science, mathematics and history) and of at least one professional craft
- The synthesising mind- ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into 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 of differences among among human beings
- The Ethical minds- fulfilment of one’s responsibilities as a worker and a citizen
Understandably Gardner feels that these five minds are at a premium in the world of today and will be even more so in the future. From the reading and looking at how we as humans can truely achieve these is through our education, developing these five minds for the future, and as a media student we must learn that going forth into the future traditional teachings no longer apply and we must realise media also play an important role in influencing and developing minds for the future. Gardner emphasises these 5 minds in the workplace, creating a working class with disciplined, synthesising, creating, respectful and ethical minds, but for us to truely achieve this as humans we all must work to apply all these five minds to our lives and to ourselves.
Howard Gardner, 2007, ‘Minds Viewed Globally: A Personal Introduction’ in Five Minds For the Future, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, ch.1.