The Trivium Method

Today I will share with you the ancient method of learning called the Trivium.
It comprises the base three of the seven liberal arts and the first reference of it goes back to the Roman Empire.

It was essential for every free citizen to learn this method in order to be considered educated and participate in society. Only the slaves were not taught the seven liberal arts because of the power it would bring to them and possibly even freedom.

You can see why it has been largely removed from our education curricilums.

Actually the Trivium method shows how we can accumulate and apply knowledge.

The first part is called Grammar (Answers the question of the Who, What, Where, and the When of a subject).

It is all about gathering data about any subject from an eclectic array of sources without pre-judging it. You can think of it as the foundations of our mind.

It is also called Knowledge or Input in esoteric and modern variations.

The second part is called Logic (Answers the Why of a subject).

This is the judging of the data, realizing the relationships and deciding if the data is true or false.

It consists of three basic sub-steps: Filtration, Correlation and Analysis, which are a guide for critical thinking.

It is also called Understanding or Processing.

The third part is called Rhetoric (Answers the How of a subject).

This is actually applying the knowledge that you have gathered and understood into speech or actions.

It is also called Wisdom or Output.

We all use this method every day even if we don’t realize it, so many of us don’t know the proper way. For example trying to understand something without gathering enough information, acting without understanding it or knowing something but never applying it in the world.

Using the Trivium steps in any other order will lead to ignorance, confusion and actions based on lies.

Thank you for reading and please follow me if you want to learn more.

Next I will be covering the Quadrivium, which comprises the other 4 liberal arts.