What is the origin of liberal arts?
Q: What is the origin of liberal arts?
A: Liberal arts has its origins in Ancient Greece and began with a "desire for a universal understanding". It developed throughout classical antiquity but began with Pythagoras and his interest in all things mathematical.
Q: How was liberal arts formalized?
A: Liberal arts became formalised in the middle ages drawing on its origins in Ancient Greek and Roman culture. The most famous example of this is plate 11, Philosophy and the Liberal Arts from the Garden of Delights (The Hortus deliciarum) which was created by a group of women in the 12th century.
Q: What does liberal arts education aim to achieve?
A: Being holistic, liberal arts education aimed at bringing the theoretical and practical together. It was intended to be a mental and practical education which by the time of the Renaissance realised a many sided individual.
Q: Who traditionally had access to liberal arts education?
A: Historically it was an education reserved only for the elite, and students were predominantly young gentlemen from wealthy families deemed respectable and important.
Q: Is liberal art still restricted to elites today?
A: In the USA, liberal arts education is still restricted to "elites" who can afford to pay significant fees to attend exclusive liberal arts colleges. However, across Europe liberal arts education is now far more affordable with some Universities explicitly stating that it can now "be enjoyed by everyone."
Q: What are Quadrivium and Trivium?
A: Quadrivium refers to four specialisms - astronomy, arithmetic, geometry and music - while Trivium refers to three language arts - grammar, dialectic, rhetoric - both originating from Ancient Greece.
Q: What did Dante say about theoretical intellect becoming practical?
A: Dante said that theoretical intellect should become practical through extension so that its goal would be doing or making something tangible.
