common criticisms that have be directed at such tests. The political agenda they wish to push clouds some its points but the overall criticism of IQ tests is that they are designed to measure a particular type of ability defined by the ruling class. In essence this argument points to the fact that these tests are culturally biased. Hence, the scores are not only indicative of only one potential pattern of intelligence but furthermore they do not reflect an objective universal pattern of intelligence but rather one that is socially constructed. The first of these criticism was addressed in the mid 1960’s by J.P.Guilford. He devised a 180-factor model of intelligence, which classified each intellectual task according to three dimensions: content, mental operation, and product. This theory is the predecessor to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, which was developed, in the last 15 years. This theory identifies seven independent intelligences on the basis of distinct sets of processing operations applied in culturally meaningful activities (linguistic, logico-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal). This theory addressing both of the major flaws, which were present in some of the earlier, tests. Nonetheless, Gardner’s theory is just that a theory, it is not rooted in strong empirical data. However, I believe that this is, to date, the best theory of intelligence that has been developed. Nature or Nurture? Gardner proposes that there are seven distinct types of human intelligence patterns, which manifest themselves to varying degrees in each of us. This might begin to account for the infinite variations in human abilities. There could possibly be more than just seven but even five types, for example, of intelligences could be mixed in varying degrees to produce the diversity of human existences throughout the ages. However this does not speak to the origins of intelligence....
