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.[1] He was best known for his ideas about the malleability of intelligence.

Luis Alberto Machado
Minister of Intellectual Development of Venezuela
In office
1979–1984
PresidentLuis Herrera Campins
Preceded byCreated
Succeeded byAbolished
Secretary of the Presidency
In office
1969–1974
PresidentRafael Caldera
Preceded byManuel Mantilla
Succeeded byRamón Escovar Salom
Deputy of the Congress of Venezuela
In office
1964–1969
Personal details
Born21 January 1932
Caracas, Venezuela
Died23 February 2016
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Career

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Machado served as Secretary of the Presidency during Rafael Caldera's first Presidency (1969-1974).[2]

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.[3] As a politician, he stated that a nation's collective intellectual power was its greatest asset.[4][5]

He was appointed Minister of Intellectual Development,[6] a cabinet post created specifically for advancing and applying his ideas with government backing, during the presidency of Luis Herrera Campins (1979–1984).[7] This program was known as the Intelligence Project,[6] and, although given a small budget,[8] resulted in a number of government initiatives aimed at improving educational opportunities in Venezuela.[3]

The project was ended in 1984 by the government of president Jaime Lusinchi, but left behind a legacy in authors related to intelligence as Edward De Bono and his experience is cited by others as Martin Seligman, Howard Gardner and Robert Sternberg.[citation needed]

Publications

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References

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  1. ^ "Falleció Luis Alberto Machado" (in Spanish). El Nacional. 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ Donald J. Treffinger; Sally M. Reis, Series Editor (5 March 2004). Creativity and Giftedness. SAGE Publications. pp. 70–. ISBN 978-1-4833-6113-0. {{cite book}}: |author2= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ David Perkins (1 March 1995). Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence. Simon and Schuster. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-1-4391-0561-0.
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ Follow-Up On The News - Nytimes.Com
  8. ^ "Venezuela promotes Smartness". The Day - New London, CT. - Google News Archive Search