A few modern philosopher's assert that an individual's intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity which cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism.... With practice, training, and above all, method, we manage to increase our attention, our memory, our judgment and literally to become more intelligent than we were before.
Interpretation
Intelligence can be developed through effort and practice, contrary to the belief that it is fixed.
Alfred Binet challenges the notion that intelligence is immutable and encourages a proactive approach to personal development. He emphasizes that through methodical training and practice, individuals can enhance their mental faculties, including attention, memory, and judgment, thus allowing them to become smarter than they were initially. This perspective promotes a growth mindset, highlighting the importance of persistence and dedication in fostering intellectual growth.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal development, one could use this quote to inspire students to believe in their ability to learn and grow.
Some recent philosophers seem to have given their moral approval to these deplorable verdicts that affirm that the intelligence of an individual is a fixed quantity, a quantity that cannot be augmented. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism; we will try to demonstrate that it is founded on nothing.
I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don't write to protect them. It's far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.
Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.
It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you think you've got it, they spring the subjunctive on you, and there you are. No- and I see now plainly enough, that the great pity about the German language is, that you can't fall off it and hurt yourself. There is nothing like that feature to make you attend strictly to business.
Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young but becomes constantly more valuable — regardless of physical capacity.
In our country today, very few children are raised to believe that their principal destiny is to serve their family, their country, or God.
If we want children to learn to tend the land and nourish themselves and have conversations at the table, we need to communicate with them in ways that are positive.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.