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<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta charset="UTF-8"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,viewport-fit=cover"><link rel="preconnect" href="https://stats.apps.seigler.net/"><style>@font-face{font-family:'Inter Variable';font-style:normal;font-display:swap;font-weight:100 900;src:url(/fonts/inter-latin-wght-normal.woff2) format('woff2-variations');unicode-range:U+0000-00FF,U+0131,U+0152-0153,U+02BB-02BC,U+02C6,U+02DA,U+02DC,U+0304,U+0308,U+0329,U+2000-206F,U+20AC,U+2122,U+2191,U+2193,U+2212,U+2215,U+FEFF,U+FFFD}@font-face{font-family:'Inter Variable';font-style:italic;font-display:swap;font-weight:100 900;src:url(/fonts/inter-latin-wght-italic.woff2) format('woff2-variations');unicode-range:U+0000-00FF,U+0131,U+0152-0153,U+02BB-02BC,U+02C6,U+02DA,U+02DC,U+0304,U+0308,U+0329,U+2000-206F,U+20AC,U+2122,U+2191,U+2193,U+2212,U+2215,U+FEFF,U+FFFD}</style><script defer src="https://stats.apps.seigler.net/script.js" data-website-id="ccb4bd94-2a71-47fe-8eea-d85bf75b7f6d"></script><link rel="me" href="https://github.com/seigler"><link rel="webmention" href="https://webmention.io/joshua.seigler.net/webmention"><title>The Trivium: A Tool for Learning Anything - joshua.seigler.net</title><meta name="description" content="An ancient methodology for learning, which formed the basis of classical education in the Middle Ages and Rennaisance."><meta name="keywords" content="posts, learning, how to"><meta property="og:title" content="The Trivium: A Tool for Learning Anything"><meta property="og:type" content=""><meta property="og:url" content="/posts/the-trivium-a-tool-for-learning-anything/"><meta name="twitter:title" content="The Trivium: A Tool for Learning Anything"><meta name="twitter:description" content="An ancient methodology for learning, which formed the basis of classical education in the Middle Ages and Rennaisance."><meta property="og:image" content="/2021-04-03--the-seven-liberal-arts.jpg"><meta name="twitter:image" content="/2021-04-03--the-seven-liberal-arts.jpg"><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"><meta name="generator" content="Eleventy v3.1.0"><script type="module" crossorigin src="/assets/main-BbblKnOV.js"></script><link rel="stylesheet" crossorigin href="/assets/main-n1kH6TzA.css"></head><body data-font="english" data-path="/posts/the-trivium-a-tool-for-learning-anything/"><header><nav><div class="nav-row"><div class="nav-home"><a href="/">joshua.seigler.net</a></div></div><div class="nav-categories"><a aria-current="page" href="/posts/">/posts</a> <a href="/about/">/about</a> <a href="/now/">/now</a> <a href="/uses/">/uses</a> <a href="/recipes/">/recipes</a> <a href="/music/">/music</a> <a href="/books/">/books</a> <a href="/links/">/links</a> <a href="/search/">/search</a></div></nav><div class="cover"><img src="/2021-04-03--the-seven-liberal-arts.jpg" alt="" loading="eager"><h1>The Trivium: A Tool for Learning Anything</h1></div><div class="header-meta"><span>April 3, 2021 (Updated July 1, 2025)</span> <span class="tags" style="--totalTags:12"><a class="tag" style="--tagIndex:1" href="/tags/learning/">learning</a> <a class="tag" style="--tagIndex:2" href="/tags/how-to/">how to</a> </span><span class="cover-info">Image: <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-seven-liberal-arts/89d9f351-fff6-4141-9efc-d5ea2951b488" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The seven Liberal Arts - Museo del Prado</a></span></div></header><header class="toc"><span class="toc"><ol><li><a href="#grammar">Grammar</a></li><li><a href="#logic">Logic</a></li><li><a href="#rhetoric">Rhetoric</a></li><li><a href="#resources">Resources</a></li></ol></span></header><main data-pagefind-body="data-pagefind-body"><p>Information today has become siloed. It’s a common belief that little, if any, expertise from one field of knowledge transfers over to other fields. But there is a forgotten tool that anyone can use to confidently approach new subjects and problems: the <em>Trivium</em>.</p><p>The ancients considered the liberal arts to be composed of seven parts. First was a foundation called the <em>trivium</em>, composed of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Following that was the <em>quadrivium</em>, which was arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy (numbers, numbers in space, numbers in time, numbers in time and space). The trivium (literally, “three ways”), is a framework for learning.</p><h2 id="grammar" tabindex="-1"><a class="header-anchor" href="#grammar" aria-hidden="true"></a> Grammar</h2><p>Grammar is about gaining knowledge: collecting information, without judgment or analysis. It answers the questions “Who, what, where, and when?” This is possibly the most important step, since (depending on what you study) essential information may not be readily available.</p><h2 id="logic" tabindex="-1"><a class="header-anchor" href="#logic" aria-hidden="true"></a> Logic</h2><p>Logic is about gaining understanding. It answers “why?” This is the foundation for relating to the world. It has three components: filtration, correlation, and analysis. It places the information gathered into context, and eliminates inconsistency and resolves conflicting perspectives.</p><h2 id="rhetoric" tabindex="-1"><a class="header-anchor" href="#rhetoric" aria-hidden="true"></a> Rhetoric</h2><p>Rhetoric is about acting wisely: the application of knowledge and understanding, put into correct action. It answers “how?”</p><p>Methodically applying this method provides a clear next step when encountering any unfamiliar topic. This is a powerful tool for methodically determining the best way to achieve your goals.</p><h2 id="resources" tabindex="-1"><a class="header-anchor" href="#resources" aria-hidden="true"></a> Resources</h2><ul><li><a href="https://triviumbinder.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trivium Binder Project</a></li><li><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/59477946/Trivium-Method-of-Critical-Thinking-and-Creative-Problem-Solving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tragedy and Hope: Five page summary of the Trivium</a></li><li><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/33744483/Trivium-Method-of-Thinking-vs-Other-Methodologies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shadows of the trivium in narrow disciplines</a></li></ul></main><script data-isso="//comments.apps.seigler.net/" src="//comments.apps.seigler.net/js/embed.min.js"></script><section id="isso-thread" data-title=""><noscript>Javascript needs to be activated to view comments.</noscript></section><footer>© Joshua Seigler 2025. - <a rel="me" href="mailto:joshua@seigler.net?subject=Hello">Contact</a> - <a href="/feed.xml">RSS</a> - <a href="/unoffice-hours/">Unoffice Hours</a> - <a href="/webrings/">Webrings</a></footer><div id="effects"></div></body></html> |