In addition to examining the big picture, common traits in those with
existential intelligence include: an interest in questions about life, death and beyond; an ability to look beyond the senses to explain phenomena; and a desire to be an outsider while at the same time showing a strong interest in society and those around them.
Through this intelligence, in particular, may seem esoteric, there are ways that teachers and students can enhance and
strengthen existential intelligence in the classroom, including:
After 25 years, I've added only one intelligence (the naturalist intelligence) and am considering another (
the existential intelligence).
Thus, an explicit concern with spiritual or religious matters would be one variety — often the most important variety — of
an existential intelligence.
Subsequent research and reflection by Howard Gardner and his colleagues has looked to three particular possibilities: a naturalist intelligence, a spiritual intelligence and
an existential intelligence.
Existential intelligence, a concern with «ultimate issues», is, thus, the next possibility that Howard Gardner considers — and he argues that it «scores reasonably well on the criteria» (ibid.: 64).
That ability to see the big picture may be a distinct intelligence —
the existential intelligence — says Gardner.
But, after an additional two decades of research, Gardner decided to include
existential intelligence.
Existential intelligence is the label education researcher Howard Gardner gave to students who think philosophically.
This existential intelligence is one of many multiple intelligences that Garner identified.