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2 - A History of Research on Intelligence

Part 1: Pre–Twentieth-Century Origins in Philosophy

from Part I - Intelligence and Its Measurement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2019

By
Robert J. Sternberg
Edited by
Robert J. Sternberg
Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

In this chapter, I review the pre-twentieth-century philosophical origins of thinking about intelligence. I review work going back to Homer, and extending through Plato and Aristotle up to the work of John Stuart Mill. Many contemporary ideas about intelligence can be found to have their origins in early philosophical thinking. I also emphasize Mill’s point that intelligence, taken by itself, is not sufficient to guarantee a positive future for humankind.

Keywords

PlatoAristotleHobbesLockePascalKantMill
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence , pp. 18 - 30
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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