そうだったのか！！

歴史なんかは教養＝リベラルアーツ（自由になるための技術）としては大学の教養課程より高校の勉強の方が有益だったような。センター試験前の詰め込み以降に体系だった歴史の勉強する機会ないよね。史学科の人，地域x時代で狭く限定された専門以外自分と大して知識変わらないと思った。 https://t.co/yHygifqqPm

— Spica (@Kelangdbn) December 2, 2021

 

What the ‘liberal’ in ‘liberal arts’ actually means

Rather, it derives from the Latin liberalis, associated with the meaning of freedom. Liberal, not as opposed to conservative, but as free, in contrast to imprisoned, subjugated, or incarcerated. Free citizens studied the trivium and quadrivium as part of their liberal education, as these skills were considered the ones that would enable them to function successfully as free citizens in society.

These liberal skills were also free in the sense that they were not tied or constrained to skills used for the purpose of production of artifacts as in the case of the servile arts

Thus, the word liberal in liberal arts and liberal education does not refer to the opposite of conservative; it refers to free, the opposite of constrained and subjugated, an education for free citizens.

What Is Liberal Arts? Definition and Examples

Many institutions have forgotten the telos of a liberal arts education: to train students not how to be but how to become. The word liberal in liberal arts comes from liber, meaning “free” or “to be free.” What has been lost in education is the belief that one must work to acquire that freedom.