"Extraordinary Minds" by Howard Gardner | Psychology | 92% Book Score
"...unlike Greene and Holiday who focus on some sort of list of desired or required characteristics or attributes, Gardner has a solid thesis that pushes us to look past a list [...] at a system"
Author: Howard Gardner
Published: 1994
Howard Gardner's Extraordinary Minds examines the case studies of four "exceptional individuals" to help us explore what truly makes an extraordinary thinker. Given who he profiles1, you might mistake this for one of those "inspiring" reads you pick up at the airport or in the self-help section at Barnes & Noble, but the difference in Gardner's approach is extremely obvious (and what makes it a joy to read): he is a next-level critical thinker.
That being said, if you enjoy reading case-based books like those from Robert Greene (48 Laws of Power) or Ryan Holiday (Stillness is the Key), you'll be happy to find that similar narration style... intimately recounting historical events and circumstances like you're personally witnessing them unfold with bag of popcorn in hand.
As expected though, he does start off a bit more on the academic side. His introduction runs through different concept models (complete with diagrams); and the initial chapters walk through development stages (still a big fan of Piaget, I see). He does this because, unlike Greene and Holiday who typically focus on some sort of list of desired or required characteristics or attributes, Gardner has a solid thesis that pushes us to look past a list and more deeply at something more reminiscent of a system: the implications of domains of expertise, the individual's sense of self, and ultimately an end-result that examines actual impact.
Without giving too much away (since the whole point of this blog is to encourage reading, not to supplement for it), the identified archetypes and their associated thinkers are as follows:
Master - Mozart
Maker - Sigmund Freud
Introspector - Virginia Woolf
Influencer - Gandhi
Something that amusingly stood out to me was his initial breakdown of Sigmund Freud as a Maker. Freud is a bit controversial (term used loosely) in the psych community so Gardner's critical and highly-judgmental tone of Freud's life for most of the chapter is effortlessly ruthless. Nearing the end of this chapter though, he turns the narrative completely around - intelligently combating earlier statements, acknowledging an incomparable influence on the industry, and ultimately unfolding a Maker profile of a naturally talented opportunist looking for the right area to dedicate themselves to maximize ROI (Freud excelled in other disciplines with pretty much the same level of exceptional intellect as psychology — cool right?!).
Though I knew that the term "Influencer" would likely differentiate itself considerably from how we use the term today, I particularly enjoyed the way he showed us how. Though we tend to focus on these "ideal attributes", Gardner draws our attention more towards environment and execution styles. As an example, when you think about an influencer on social media, we think about individuals who've conquered particular niches to draw in audience interactions for ongoing monetization. Gardner's exploration of Gandhi as an Influencer instead points us to the fact that Influencers can only be identified as such if they're not preaching to an existing choir (or niche) and use many more direct tactics to achieve extremely specific outcomes (among other notable features you should read about yourself). He starts the chapter with less emphasis on the typical stories we've all read about Gandhi, opting for those focusing more on his skills as a comprehensive arbitrator. Badass.
Though it goes without saying, I think everyone should read this book. It's much less academic than his previous work and includes valuable nuggets for anyone looking to get inspired for a new venture, the execution of creative pursuits, or even for new self-reflection styles. As someone exploring many of these myself... I can confirm it's definitely a perspectives game-changer!
- Ri
Wolfgang Mozart, Sigmund Freud, Virginia Woolf, and Mahatma Gandhi