Luis Alberto Machado

Luis Alberto Machado is a Venezuelan lawyer, author, former Secretary of the Presidency and former Minister of Intellectual Development of Venezuela. He is best known for his ideas about the malleability of intelligence.

Machado served as Secretary of the Presidency during Rafael Caldera's first Presidency (1969-1974).[1]

He asserted, in his books and writings on the subject, that perceived limits on intelligence are false and are primarily tied to upbringing and social conditioning. He argued that through careful environmental stimulation, especially in the early stages of child development, intelligence can be developed indefinitely and exponentially throughout life.[2] As a politician, he stated that a nation's collective intellectual power was its greatest asset.[3][4]

He was appointed Minister of Intellectual Development,[5] a cabinet post created specifically for advancing and applying his ideas with government backing, during the presidency of Luis Herrera Campins (1979-1984).[6] This program was known as the Intelligence Project,[5] and, although given a small budget,[7] resulted in a number of government initiatives aimed at improving educational opportunities in Venezuela.[2]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Christopher Peterson; Martin E. P. Seligman (11 March 2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-0-19-988324-0.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Robert J. Sternberg; Scott Barry Kaufman (30 May 2011). The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-1-139-49838-8.
  3. ↑ Donald J. Treffinger; Sally M. Reis, Series Editor (5 March 2004). Creativity and Giftedness. SAGE Publications. pp. 70–. ISBN 978-1-4833-6113-0.
  4. ↑ David Perkins (1 March 1995). Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence. Simon and Schuster. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-1-4391-0561-0.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 H. H. Spitz (1 February 2013). The Raising of Intelligence: A Selected History of Attempts To Raise Retarded Intelligence. Routledge. pp. 193–. ISBN 978-1-136-56207-5.
  6. ↑ Follow-Up On The News - Nytimes.Com
  7. ↑ "Venezuela promotes Smartness". The Day - New London, CT. - Google News Archive Search

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