Logical-mathematical Intelligence: What Is It And How Can We Improve It?
Our ability to solve mathematical problems has long been considered the clearest form of expression of our own intelligence.
The time it took to detect mathematical patterns in series, solve a mental calculation operation or answer geometry exercises used to be measured. Today this ability continues to be very important when evaluating the cognitive abilities of human beings, but our conception of what intelligence is (or can be) has become broader.
That is why proposals such as the Theory of Multiple Intelligences have emerged, one of whose components is logical-mathematical intelligence Formulated by psychologist Howard Gardner.
This type of intelligence can be defined as our formal reasoning capacity to solve problems related to numbers and the relationships that can be established between them as well as to think following the rules of logic.
In logical-mathematical Intelligence, mathematics and logic go hand in hand because thinking through both requires following the rules of a formal system, devoid of content: one plus one equals two, whatever the units we work with, just as something that is cannot not be, regardless of what it is about. In short, being endowed to a greater or lesser extent with logical-mathematical intelligence allows us to recognize and predict causal connections between things that happen (if I add 3 units to these 5, I will get 8 because I have added them, etc.).
The implications that what has been said above has for our way of thinking and acting are clear. Thanks to this intelligence we are able to think more or less coherently, detect regularities in the relationships between things and reason logically.
It could be said that, beyond our unique way of seeing things and using language in our own way to define the things that happen in the world, logical-mathematical intelligence allows us to embrace logical rules that allow our thinking to connect with that of others
Cognitive skills beyond language
It is important to note that this type of intelligence does not directly explain our way of thinking in general, nor our use of language or the interpretation of our own reality. These factors depend largely on our ideology and the use of language that characterizes us.
Logical-mathematical intelligence does not help us question whether we are adding the type of units we should be adding, for example, just as logic does not tell us which aspects of a problem we should prioritize and solve first, nor what our objectives should be. . However, once certain standards are established, what remains can be evaluated as logical-mathematical intelligence.
An example: when we are given a mathematical problem, we can choose whether to solve it or not and, Once we accept the rules of the statement, we can solve it well or badly But we can also refuse to solve that problem because doing so would not be useful for our purposes, for whatever reason, or answer wrongly on purpose because we do not accept the rules imposed from the beginning.
How to improve logical-mathematical intelligence?
You’ve probably guessed it, because it’s almost obvious: facing tasks that force you to use this type of intelligence At first, this may be very tedious for some people, but the progress that can be made is spectacular and very useful for everyday life, especially those related to mental calculation
You can start with notebooks to learn mathematics at your own pace or attend specialized academies (although most of them have a university focus). You also have the option of start practically from scratch on free training websites like the highly recommended Khan Academy, in which you can measure your progress and choose the learning branches to your liking.
One of the keys: logical thinking
As for the part that refers to logical thinking, you may find it more enjoyable at first, since the best way to develop it is to dialogue and discuss through arguments, watching out not to fall into fallacies
Something that is typical, for example, of any night out at bars or a Christmas dinner with the family, but that can be generalized to many other moments in your life. To have the workings of logic at hand, you can look for books of your choice that deal with logic and logical fallacies.
