In May of 2000, I stumbled upon a book by Michael J. Gelb entitled "How to think like Leonardo da Vinci." The book title is misleading because it probably should read, "What Michael Gelb thinks thinking like Leonardo da Vinci should be like;" however, that title doesn't quite roll off the tongue. Nevertheless, I was enamored with the book, and even in today's digital books and cloud libraries, Gelb's book about da Vinci still resides in paper form on my shelf.
During part one, which includes the introduction to the book, Gelb summarizes the "theory of multiple intelligences." The theory, first presented in 1983 by psychologist Howard Gardner posits that every person "possesses at least seven measurable intelligences." [1] Gardner and his colleagues would later expand this number to twenty-five, including subintelligences, [2] which is well beyond the summary I intended to make in this writing.
The seven include Logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, spatial-mechanical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal-social, and intrapersonal or self-knowledge. [3] The author has several names listed by each intelligence to help identify the type of person generally associated with the specialty, i.e., Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, and Mozart, to name a few.
Like most books of this type, Gelb does not hesitate to summarize the whole of psychological research when he says, "your brain is much better than you think." [4] Cataloged and ranked by objective genius, authors Tony Buzan and Raymond Keene attempt to list the greatest genius of all time. [5] Of course, Leonardo da Vinci occupies the number one spot, and according to Gleb, following and studying these great men and women can help to bring a little more "wisdom and inspiration to your life, every day." [6]
Part 2 of the book "How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci," doesn't contain chapters; however, it deals with the seven da Vincian principles. The first principle is Curiosita ("An Insatiable Curious Approach to Life and an Unrelenting Quest for Continuous Learning"). [7] Each principle contains a self-assessment worksheet and exercises. I've spent a considerable amount of time in various blogs and articles talking about keeping a journal. Many of my current methods, even the digital ideas, have been based on thoughts from this chapter.
The second principle Dimostrazione ("A Commitment to Test Knowledge through Experience, Persistence, and a Willingness to Learn from Mistakes,") [8] is more complicated. I may write some essays about each of the remaining principles; however, I'll now list the remaining guides and quote what Mr. Gelb provided as an explanation. They are:
Sensazione ("The Continual Refinement of the Sensus, Especially Sight, as the Means to Enliven Experiences.") [9]
Sfumato ("Literally 'Going up in Smoke,' A Willingness to Embrace Ambiguity, Paradox, and Uncertainty.") [10]
Arte/Scienza ("The Development of the Balance between Science and Art, Logic and Imagination. 'Whole-Brain' Thinking.") [11]
Corporalita ("The Cultivation of Grace, Ambidexterity, Fitness, and Poise.") [12]
Cannessione ("A Recognition of and Appreciation for the Interconnectedness of all Things and Phenomena. Systems Thinking.") [13]
By the time I concluded the book, I was indeed a Renaissance Man. I listened with rapt attention; however, I spoke rarely (of course, I’m an introvert, so who would notice?) Instead, I’d see peculiar things and quickly jot them down in my journal, and I sketched. Part three offered a "beginner's da Vinci Drawing Course," [14], and I quickly drove to the art and craft store to gather the necessary supplies. The drawing phase lasted only a short time; however, I was impressed with more than a few of my sketches when I looked back on some of the pictures. I've looked, but I’ll need help finding my old drawing book. Next time I do, I'll update the Blog with a picture or two.
I’ve used the following quote by da Vinci in more than one article or presentation as I feel it represents how one should live their life; I call it fear and desire.
"Drawn by my eager wish, desirous of seeing the great confusion of the various strange forms created by ingenious nature, I wandered for some time among the shadowed cliffs, and came to the entrance of a great cavern. I remained before it for a while, stupefied, and ignorant of the existence of such a thing, with my back bent and my left hand resting on my knee, and shading my eyes with my right, with lids lowered and closed, and often bending this way and that to see whether I could discern anything within; but this was denied me by the great darkness inside. And after I stayed awhile there arose in me two things, fear and desire - fear because of the menacing dark cave, and desire to see whether there were any miraculous thing within." ~ Leonardo da Vinci [15]
Written November 12, 2022
References:
[1] Gelb, M. (2000). *How to think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven steps to genius every day*. New York, NY: Dell Publishing (a division of Random House, Inc). p.4.
[2] Ibid p.4.
[3] Ibid p.4.
[4] Ibid p.4.
[5] Ibid p.5.
[6] Ibid p.7.
[7] Ibid p.48.
[8] Ibid p.76.
[9] Ibid p.94.
[10] Ibid p.142.
[11] Ibid p.164
[12] Ibid p.192
[13] Ibid p.220
[14] Ibid p.262
[15] Ibid p.259.