Einstein's Brain

david_musick@juno.com
Sat, 24 Apr 1999 18:30:06 -0600

J.R. wrote,

"Einstein's brain did (does -- they keep it in a jar) look different
(under the microscope) than other brains, but perhaps that has to do
with the way he used it. Sort of like callouses on hard working hands."

Very good point. Our minds improve with use. Einstein was so intelligent because he was always thinking, always trying to understand things. His intelligence was not a random event; he deliberately chose it by constantly exercising his mind. I believe that nearly all humans are capable of becoming geniuses; of course, it takes years of intense mental exercise and mental discipline, and one must be committed to increasing one's own intelligence (this is why most people, sadly enough, are not geniuses).

However, I believe that children could be raised in ways that constantly challenge them to develop more effective mental skills. This is something I would like to test out. I want to see if a form of education could be created that is capable of dramatically increasing people's intelligence. As far as I can tell, intelligence is basically a collection of mental skills, and like any skills, they are learned.

For the past few years, I've been developing activities and exercises which seem to have been very effective in increasing the quality of my own thinking, the power of my problem solving skills and my creative abilities. Most of the activities can be done by people of all ages and levels of intelligence; they are fundamentally simple activities
(although the level of difficulty can be varied quite a bit). I have
found the activities quite enjoyable and productive for myself, but I have not shared them with many others yet, so I don't know how effective they would be for people in general yet.

I figured that this list was the perfect place to share my ideas with others who may wish to try them out and give me some feedback. Eventually, I want to publish my ideas more widely, but, of course, I do need to get them written down first, and I think this list is a good place to do that. Is that alright with everyone?

continual improvement is the highest good

David_Musick@juno.com



You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]