2 minutes
Continuing with the subject of Multiple Intelligences: for decades, logical-mathematical intelligence was considered raw intelligence.
It was the central axis of the concept of intelligence and was used as a benchmark to identify how intelligent 🤓 someone was.
As its name suggests, this type of intelligence is linked to the ability to reason logically and solve mathematical problems. The speed at which these problems are solved is the indicator determining how much logical-mathematical intelligence someone has.
The well-known intelligence quotient tests are based on this type of intelligence and, to a lesser extent, linguistic intelligence. Scientists, economists, academics, engineers, and mathematicians tend to excel in this kind of intelligence.
Cognitive abilities beyond language
It is important to emphasize that this type of intelligence does not directly explain our way of thinking in general, our use of language, or our personal interpretation of reality. These factors depend largely on our ideology and the language use that characterizes us.
Logical-mathematical intelligence does not help us question whether we are adding the kinds of units we should be adding, for example, just as logic does not tell us which aspects of a problem to prioritize and solve first, or what our objectives should be. However, once certain rules have been established, what remains can indeed be considered logical-mathematical intelligence.
An example: when presented with a mathematical problem, we can choose whether or not to solve it and, once we accept the rules of the statement, we can solve it correctly or incorrectly. But we can also refuse to solve the problem because doing so would not serve our purposes, for whatever reason, or deliberately answer incorrectly because we do not accept the rules imposed from the outset.
How can you improve logical-mathematical intelligence?
At first, this may feel very tedious to some people, but the progress you can make is remarkable and very useful in everyday life, especially in mental arithmetic.
You can start with workbooks to learn mathematics at your own pace or attend specialized academies. You also have the option of starting practically from scratch on free educational websites such as the recommended Khan Academy, where you can measure your progress and choose areas of learning to suit your preferences.