Luis Alberto Machado (21 January 1932 – 23 February 2016) was a Venezuelan lawyer, author, Secretary of the Presidency and Minister of Intellectual Development of Venezuela. He was best known for his ideas about the malleability of intelligence.

Career

Machado served as Secretary of the Presidency during

Rafael Caldera Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez ( ; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009) was a Venezuelan politician and academician who was the 46th and 51st president of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1994 to 1999, thus becoming the longest se ...

's first Presidency (1969-1974). 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. As a politician, he stated that a nation's collective intellectual power was its greatest asset. He was appointed Minister of Intellectual Development, a cabinet post created specifically for advancing and applying his ideas with government backing, during the presidency of

Luis Herrera Campins Luis Antonio Herrera Campins (4 May 1925 – 9 November 2007) was the president of Venezuela from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of COPEI, a Christian Democratic party. Early life and career Lui ...

(1979–1984). This program was known as the Intelligence Project, and, although given a small budget,"Venezuela promotes Smartness".
''The Day'' - New London, CT. - Google News Archive Search resulted in a number of government initiatives aimed at improving educational opportunities in Venezuela. The project was ended in 1984 by the government of president

Jaime Lusinchi Jaime Ramón Lusinchi (27 May 1924 – 21 May 2014) was the president of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989. His term was characterized by an economic crisis, growth of the external debt, populist policies, currency depreciation, inflation and corrupt ...

, but left behind a legacy in authors related to intelligence as

Edward De Bono Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono (19 May 1933 – 9 June 2021) was a Maltese physician and commentator. He originated the term lateral thinking, and wrote many books on thinking, including ''Six Thinking Hats''. Life and career Edward ...

and his experience is cited by others as

Martin Seligman Martin Elias Peter Seligman (; born August 12, 1942) is an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. Seligman is a strong promoter within the scientific community of his theories of well-being and positive psychology. His t ...

Howard Gardner Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University. He was a founding member of Harvard Project Zero in 1967 ...

and

Robert Sternberg Robert J. Sternberg (born December 8, 1949) is an American psychologist and psychometrician. He is a Professor of Human Development at Cornell University. Sternberg has a BA from Yale University and a PhD from Stanford University, under adviso ...

Publications

"UNIVERSAL GOAL"
in ''Creating the Future: Perspectives on Educational Change''. Compiled and Edited by Dee Dickinson.

''In Context''.

References

1932 births 2016 deaths Government ministers of Venezuela Members of the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies Politicians from Caracas 20th-century Venezuelan lawyers Rafael Caldera ministers Luis Herrera Campins ministers {{Venezuela-politician-stub