Newsletter #2 - The Trivium (Academia)

In our last newsletter we spent some time expanding on the idea of “classical Christian education”. Continuing this trend of exploring topics relevant to the work of St Anselm’s School we will, in this newsletter, look at the concept of the “Trivium”.

The Trivium

Forming one half of what is known as the Liberal Arts (the other half is called the Quadrivium - we will speak more on that in a coming newsletter) the Trivium has formed the bedrock of Christian education over many centuries.

The word Trivium itself means “the place where three roads meet” and it encompasses the three fundamental language arts: grammar, logic and rhetoric.

Grammar is the study of the structure of language and of the way it’s put together. It looks at word order, tenses, conjugations and sentence structure. It lays the foundation for the remaining two.

Logic is the art of reasoning and thinking clearly. It teaches individuals to think critically, identify fallacies and construct sound arguments. By studying logic pupils learn to deconstruct the ideas they interact with on a day-to-day basis. They also learn how to provide a logical defence for the hope that they have (1 Peter 3:15).

Rhetoric is the art of using language with beauty and clarity. It teaches pupils how to communicate persuasively in both written and verbal forms. The classical tradition holds that rhetorical ability allows men and women to engage in meaningful dialogue, convey their ideas persuasively, and advocate for their beliefs.

And yet we believe there is more to the Trivium than just academic virtue – there is Christian virtue too. That will be the topic of our next newsletter!