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. Machado served as Secretary of the Presidency during

Rafael Caldera Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez ( (); 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009), twice elected the president of Venezuela, served for two five-year terms (1969–1974 and 1994–1999), becoming the longest serving democratically elected leade ...

'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 Luis ...

(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 a Venezuelan politician who 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 dep ...

, 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 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 the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is curr ...

and

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

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 {{Venezuela-politician-stub