The Liberal Arts has an extensive history that finds its roots in the classical world of Greece and Rome and has been taught for many centuries until more recent times. Throughout history the aim of an education in the liberal arts was to form not only the mind, but the whole individual, by cultivating a love of learning. It would teach students how to think clearly and to articulate ideas well, to be knowledgeable on many different subjects, and above all to be a virtuous person. The basis of this were not seven subjects but sevens arts, because they saw each art was taught to be a lifelong skill to be perfected rather than just some facts to learn about.

The Seven Liberal Arts train the mind to think and are divided into two main categories.

The Trivium is all about the art of learning and refining language and consists of:

• Grammar
• Logic/Dialectics
• Rhetoric

The Quadrivium is the other four arts and is all about numbers, shapes and sound:

• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Music
• Astronomy

Liberal Arts attempts to teach how to continue to learn and grow in all these areas and to recognise how they all relate to each other. These seven arts are the basis of a well-formed mind and well-rounded person who can then start to specialise with a firm foundation.

Not only are these seven arts taught at Hartford, but they are also complemented by the disciplines of science, physics, computer tech and chemistry to further round out the learning of our students, preparing them for the modern world.

 

Stay tuned as we dive deeper into this topic next time.