The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences

The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, as referred to in Freemasonry, are those of grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. In Medieval times, these were split into the Trivium (the first three) and the Quadrivium (the last four). These seven schools of learning have been long established as the core curriculum throughout the western world, and each has its own strength and wisdom to teach. Each art or science is important to master to become a truly well-rounded individual.

The Trivium consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and arithmetic. Trivium is Latin for the three ways, or the three roads. They were considered the most important of the seven liberal arts. These three schools were taught first, as the superstructure for further education.

The first is that of grammar, the art of proper language. Although language changes daily as the vernacular is hammered away over time, one who properly masters grammar stands above those plebes who cannot. It is readily apparent to any who hear a master grammarian speak, or read one’s writings, that such a person holds education and knowledge higher than most. This is why it is listed first: without grammar, the other arts and sciences cannot be properly communicated.

The second, rhetoric, is the art of persuasion and debate. Great orators and leaders require not only the ability to write and speak with proper grammar, but to form language into a tool by which one may lead others to view the world in the way the speaker wishes. The Romans took rhetoric from the Greeks, and as was their way, expanded it into a larger, better form of five canons: inventio, disposito, elocutio, memoria, and actio.

Logic is the final step in the Trivium, and the third liberal art. It is the study of the meanings of words, thoughts, ideas, and reason. The mastery of logic allows the rhetorical grammarian to further perfect his argument into a flawless stone of philosophy. The science studies topics such as fallacies, paradoxes, probability, and causality.

The Quadrivium, the last four liberal arts and sciences, takes the core built by the Trivium and builds the walls that keep it upright. Without walls, a building is merely a frame, a useless structure waiting to be completed. Without the Quadrivium, the liberal arts and sciences only form a strong but impractical home for the mind.

Much like a building’s foundation, without arithmetic, the fourth liberal art, the rest of mathematics could not stand. Arithmetic is at the heart of all mathematics. It consists of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Without these four basic steps of math, more advanced operations (i.e., powers, square roots, etc.) would not be possible.

The fifth and most important science (to Freemasons) is that of geometry. Geometry takes arithmetic and crafts it into actual forms and shapes. Specifically, we as Freemasons utilize Euclidian geometry, which consists of the more common shapes and devices most people recognize. Euclid, a Greek mathematician who lived around 300 BCE, formulated many of the measurements and equations we still use today, although geometry itself can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians.

Sixth amongst the liberal arts, and third in the Quadrivium, is the study of music. Music is an art, but also a science and an extension of mathematics. Many scholars have studied the relation between harmonies and math, using equations from higher mathematics such as calculus. However, music is not only math; it is also an expression of the soul. Music allows one to communicate their passions in ways words cannot, even with the most beautiful mastery of the Trivium.

Last amongst the arts and sciences, but certainly not least, is that of astronomy. Astronomy is the study of the stars and the cosmos. Again, we can trace its history to the Greeks and the Egyptians before them. Astronomy is more than simply peering out at the celestial bodies floating in the vacuum of space; it is also geometry and physics. The study of astronomy allows one to know the world within which they live, and how it properly functions.

The Trivium, as the foundation, and the Quadrivium, as the walls, form the basic building of knowledge and wisdom that are commonly known as the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. Yet no building is complete without a roof, and the peak of this building pierces the very heavens. Traditionally, after the mastery of these seven arts and sciences, a student went on to study philosophy and theology. This is why Freemasonry exists; to build the building of knowledge and place upon it the roof of philosophy and theology.