The liberal arts (The Trivium, Part 1)

Summary

This lecture introduces the Trivium, the first three of the seven classical liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, and logic. It emphasizes the transformative power of liberal arts in actualizing one's potential and achieving a flourishing life. The lecture distinguishes between negative and positive liberty, highlighting the role of liberal arts in enabling positive freedom through skill development. It also outlines the structure of the series, covering the logic of terms, propositions, and arguments, aiming to sharpen critical thinking and effective engagement with the world.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The Trivium consists of the first three of the seven classical liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, and logic, which are foundational for learning and personal development.
• 🌟 Liberal arts are termed as 'arts that liberate' because they aim to actualize one's potential and transform individuals, not just teach technical skills.
• 📚 The concept of actualizing potential is rooted in the classical understanding that every individual has inherent abilities that can be developed to live a flourishing life.
• 🔍 The lecture introduces a distinction between 'negative liberty', which is freedom from coercion, and 'positive liberty', which is the capacity to do something, emphasizing the role of liberal arts in enabling positive liberty.
• 🏛️ Grammar is the foundational art of the Trivium, teaching the structure of language and how to communicate clearly and effectively.
• 📢 Rhetoric builds upon grammar, focusing on the compelling composition of language to engage and persuade an audience.
• 🔑 Logic is the third art of the Trivium, involving the use of reasoning to discover truth and is integral to both rhetoric and as a standalone discipline.
• 🔢 The Quadrivium, the second group of the seven liberal arts, includes arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy, which deal with discrete and continuous quantities and their harmonious relationships.
• 🌐 The script suggests that the liberal arts are intransitive, focusing on the transformation of the individual rather than interaction with an external object, unlike the transitive nature of practical and fine arts.
• 🧠 The course will delve into the logic of terms, propositions, and arguments, teaching students to identify, classify, and evaluate the structure of reasoning in various statements.
• 🚫 The lecture clarifies that the course will focus on formal fallacies related to the structure of arguments rather than informal fallacies that pertain to content or unclear meanings.

Q & A

What are the Trivium and the Quadrivium in the context of the classical liberal arts?

The Trivium consists of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, which are the foundational disciplines for learning and communication. The Quadrivium includes arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy, which are more advanced disciplines that build upon the Trivium.

Why are the liberal arts considered to be 'liberating arts'?

The liberal arts are considered 'liberating arts' because they aim to transform individuals by actualizing their potential, enabling them to become more fully who they can be, and to engage more effectively with the world.

What is the difference between negative liberty and positive liberty as described by Isaiah Berlin?

Negative liberty refers to freedom from something, such as coercion or obstacles, allowing one to engage in activities without hindrance. Positive liberty is about the capacity to do something, which requires training or formation to actualize one's potential to perform an action.

What is the role of grammar in the Trivium?

Grammar is the foundational discipline of the Trivium, teaching how to use symbols, form words and sentences correctly, and ensure that communication is understandable to others.

How does rhetoric differ from grammar in the context of the liberal arts?

Rhetoric builds upon grammar by focusing on how to engage and persuade an audience. It involves the compelling use of language to convey information in a way that is not only clear but also influential.

What is logic's place in the Trivium and how does it relate to rhetoric?

Logic is the third discipline in the Trivium, which involves the systematic study of reasoning and the principles of valid inference. It can be used as a strategy in rhetoric to compel an audience but also stands as a separate discipline for deducing new information from known premises.

How do the Seven Liberal Arts relate to the Seven Virtues in the classical world?

In the classical world, the Seven Liberal Arts were aligned with the Seven Virtues, suggesting a unity between the disciplines of learning and moral character. This alignment underscores the idea that the liberal arts are not just about intellectual development but also about ethical and moral growth.

What is the difference between transitive and intransitive arts in the context of the liberal arts?

Transitive arts involve an action applied to an object, as seen in practical and fine arts where one works with external materials. Intransitive arts, which include the liberal arts, focus on the transformation of the individual without the need for external interaction.

How did the publication of 'Principia Mathematica' by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead change the study of logic?

The publication revolutionized logic by introducing symbolic logic, which treated logic as a branch of mathematics. This shift moved the study of logic away from ordinary language to a formal, mathematical language, influencing the development of computer technology and modern logical education.

What will be the focus of the lectures in this series regarding logic?

The lectures will focus on the classical liberal arts approach to logic, primarily following Aristotle's traditional logic, including categorical syllogisms, informal logic, defining and classifying terms, recognizing propositions, and identifying and analyzing logical fallacies.

What is the significance of propositions in the study of logic?

Propositions are declarative statements that can be true or false and are central to logic as they make claims or predications about subjects. Understanding propositions is essential for identifying arguments and distinguishing between valid and invalid reasoning.

How do syllogisms serve as examples of arguments in logic?

Syllogisms are a form of deductive reasoning consisting of two premises and a conclusion. They illustrate the structure of logical arguments and can be used to teach the concepts of validity and soundness in reasoning.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to the Trivium and Liberal Arts

This paragraph introduces the concept of the Trivium, which is part of the classical liberal arts, including grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The lecturer aims to explore these arts across the series, starting with defining the liberal arts and the Trivium's significance. The discussion emphasizes the transformative nature of liberal arts on an individual's character and identity, relating it to the concept of actualizing one's potential. The lecturer introduces the idea of 'liberal arts as liberating arts,' distinguishing between negative liberty (freedom from coercion) and positive liberty (capacity to do something), suggesting that the liberal arts pertain to positive liberty by enabling individuals to realize their capabilities.

05:01

🎓 The Structure and Significance of the Trivium

The second paragraph delves deeper into the Trivium's components—grammar, rhetoric, and logic—and their hierarchical structure. Grammar is described as the foundational skill of language construction, rhetoric as the art of persuasion and audience engagement, and logic as a tool for compelling argumentation and truth discovery. The paragraph also introduces the Quadrivium, which includes arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy, and explains how these arts build upon the Trivium. The connection between the Seven Liberal Arts and virtues is highlighted, suggesting an integrated approach to personal development.

10:04

🎨 The Liberal Arts in Context: Distinctions and Definitions

This paragraph contrasts the liberal arts with practical and fine arts, emphasizing that liberal arts are intransitive, focusing on the development of the individual rather than the manipulation of external objects. The distinction between transitive and intransitive arts is clarified, with the liberal arts likened to an internal blooming rather than an action on an object. The paragraph also discusses alternative framings of the Trivium, aligning it with knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and true learning, and touches upon historical debates regarding the primacy of rhetoric or logic in education.

15:06

🔍 The Evolution of Logic: From Aristotle to Modern Times

The focus shifts to the evolution of logic as a discipline, from Aristotle's foundational work to the revolutionary changes brought by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead with 'Principia Mathematica.' This work transformed logic into a branch of mathematics using symbolic language, which significantly influenced computer technology and logic teaching. The paragraph outlines the course's approach to logic, which will not cover modern symbolic logic but will concentrate on Aristotelian logic and informal logic, including identifying terms, propositions, and recognizing logical fallacies.

20:07

📘 Course Overview: The Study of Logic and Language

The final paragraph provides an overview of the course's content, beginning with grammar and syntax, moving to rhetoric, and then extensively covering logic. The course will explore the logic of terms, propositions, and arguments, aiming to develop students' abilities to engage with the world effectively. The importance of propositions and arguments is illustrated with examples, differentiating between valid and invalid arguments, and emphasizing the course's goal to sharpen logical intuitions and improve argument analysis.

Keywords

💡Trivium

The Trivium refers to the first three of the seven classical liberal arts, which include grammar, rhetoric, and logic. It is a foundational aspect of the video's theme, as it represents the initial steps in the study of liberal arts aimed at personal development and transformation. The script mentions the Trivium as a collection of 'three ways or three paths of formation or learning,' illustrating its significance in the educational journey.

💡Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts are the traditional fields of study that encompass a broad range of knowledge and skills beyond practical or vocational subjects. In the video, the term is used to describe the seven areas of study that were believed to transform individuals and actualize their potential. The script emphasizes that 'the liberal arts are the Arts that Liberate,' highlighting their role in enabling personal growth and intellectual freedom.

💡Grammar

Grammar is the study of the structure and rules of language, including the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. It is the first step in the Trivium and is essential for clear communication. The script uses grammar as an example of an 'entry-level skill' that teaches how to construct meaningful sentences, like 'the cat is on the mat,' ensuring that the syntax is correct.

💡Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speaking and writing, which goes beyond mere communication to influence and inspire an audience. It is the second part of the Trivium and builds upon the foundational skills learned in grammar. The script describes rhetoric as a 'second order kind of ability' that aims to engage an audience and make them accept the speaker's or writer's message.

💡Logic

Logic is the study of the principles of correct reasoning and the criteria for the validity of arguments. It is the third element of the Trivium and is crucial for deducing new information from existing knowledge. The script positions logic as a discipline that can be used both in rhetoric to compel an audience and as a standalone skill to discover truth, emphasizing its importance in the pursuit of knowledge.

💡Quadrivium

The Quadrivium complements the Trivium and consists of arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. These subjects build upon the skills acquired in the Trivium and delve into more complex areas of study. The script describes the Quadrivium as the 'second group of the Seven Liberal Arts' that follows the foundational Trivium, indicating a progression in the educational curriculum.

💡Actualize

To actualize one's potential means to develop and utilize one's abilities to their fullest extent. The term is central to the video's theme, as it relates to the transformative power of liberal arts. The script explains that the liberal arts are about 'actualizing your potential' and becoming a 'flourishing person,' suggesting that the study of these arts enables individuals to reach their full potential.

💡Liberty

Liberty, in the context of the video, refers to the concept of freedom, which is explored through the lens of Isaiah Berlin's distinction between negative and positive liberty. Negative liberty is the freedom from coercion, while positive liberty is the capacity to do something. The script uses the concept of liberty to illustrate the empowering nature of the liberal arts, which provide the capacity to achieve one's potential.

💡Virtues

Virtues are qualities that are considered morally good and are linked to the development of character. The script aligns the Seven Liberal Arts with the Seven Virtues, suggesting a unity between moral and intellectual development. The virtues are presented as habits that enable one to flourish, paralleling the transformative purpose of the liberal arts.

💡Transitive and Intransitive Arts

Transitive arts refer to practical and fine arts that involve action applied to an object, while intransitive arts, which include the liberal arts, are self-expressive and do not involve interaction with an external object. The script introduces this distinction to clarify that liberal arts are about personal transformation rather than manipulation of external materials, emphasizing the introspective and self-actualizing nature of these studies.

💡Syllogism

A syllogism is a form of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. The script provides examples of syllogisms to illustrate the process of logical reasoning, which is a key component of the video's exploration of logic within the liberal arts.

Highlights

The Trivium consists of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, which are foundational to the liberal arts.

Liberal arts aim to transform individuals by actualizing their potential and are associated with character and personal identity.

The concept of 'actualizing potential' is rooted in Aristotle's philosophy, relating to flourishing and living a fulfilling life.

Isaiah Berlin's essay on 'Two Concepts of Liberty' differentiates between negative liberty (freedom from) and positive liberty (capacity to do).

The seven classical liberal arts are linked to positive liberty, enabling individuals to do things they have the potential to do.

Grammar is the foundational skill for constructing meaningful sentences through correct syntax.

Rhetoric is the art of compelling communication, engaging and persuading an audience beyond mere information conveyance.

Logic is a discipline for deducing new information from existing knowledge, separate from the context of speech.

The Quadrivium includes arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy, building on the Trivium with more advanced disciplines.

The liberal arts are distinct from practical and fine arts, focusing on internal transformation rather than interaction with external objects.

The Seven Liberal Arts are aligned with the Seven Virtues, suggesting a unity between knowledge and moral character.

The liberal arts are intransitive, focusing on the development of the individual without the need for external application.

Grammar, rhetoric, and logic are associated with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, culminating in true learning or mastery.

The historical debate between rhetoric and logic's primacy reflects differing views on the primary activity of a rational mind.

Aristotelian logic was the standard for centuries until the 20th century when symbolic logic emerged, influencing computer technology.

The course will focus on informal logic and formal logic, particularly Aristotelian logic, excluding modern symbolic logic.

The lectures will cover the logic of terms, propositions, and arguments, teaching how to identify and construct valid reasoning.

The course aims to sharpen logical intuitions and improve the ability to engage effectively with the world.

Understanding the difference between propositions and non-propositions is crucial for analyzing logical arguments.

Syllogisms are used to illustrate valid and invalid arguments, teaching how to identify and correct logical errors.

Transcripts

hi everybody this is lecture one in a

series of short lectures on the Trivium

that is the first three of the classical

liberal arts grammar rhetoric and logic

we will explore these across the whole

series our business today is just to

talk about the liberal arts what are the

liberal arts what is this Trivium and

why would we study it let's answer those

questions

our title slide here we have an image a

medieval image of the seven classical

liberal arts now when we hear the term

liberal arts today we might have all

kinds of associations with that from our

contemporary culture for much of History

though the liberal arts were precisely

Seven Fields the student would study

these fields not only to become Adept in

these Arts but to be transformed as a

person the liberal arts pertained to

character and pertain to a person's

identity as well it was a way of

actualizing their potential as we will

see presently

this is what I want to propose as the

watchword for these lectures something

that you can keep in mind throughout

this series the liberal arts are the

Arts that Liberate the liberal arts are

the Arts that liberate you again to

actualize your potential now that has a

kind of self-help connotation in our

present day and that's not entirely

misplaced but when I say actualize Your

Potential I have in mind a more

classical meaning for Aristotle

everything has a certain potential we

learn this in earth science right

there's a potential energy in any object

in order to become fully who you are

let's use that language you need to

actualize that potential a person who

has actualized her potential is a

flourishing person right what does it

mean to live a flourishing life it means

to actualize your potential and this

pertains to Liberation as we have here

on the slide or to freedom and I want to

say just a bit about Freedom or in as I

have on the slide here Liberty because

what is Liberty

we can make a distinction between two

kinds of Liberty based on an essay by

the philosopher Isaiah Berlin two

concepts of Liberty in that essay Berlin

distinguishes between what he calls

negative Liberty and positive Liberty

negative Liberty is freedom from

something freedom from coercion right

there is no obstacle in your way

as you try to engage in some activity or

or to speak right so freedom of speech

is the ability to to speak freely would

mean that you you have that negative

Liberty right nothing is obstructing you

positive Liberty

has to do with the capacity to do

something right to take an example I do

not play the piano as it so happens I've

been told I have the fingers for it I

probably should have learned to play the

piano because I'd like to but I never

did when I sit down at a piano I do not

have the positive Liberty to play that

piano I have not been trained or formed

in a way that enables me to read from

the sheet music and and translate it

onto the keys right I'm I'm perfectly at

Liberty to play it from this negative

Liberty Point of View right nothing is

preventing me from doing it my hands are

on the keys but I don't have the

positive Liberty to do it

what I want to propose is that the seven

classical liberal arts pertain to this

positive Liberty right they're about

enabling us to do things that we have

the potential to do right but we need

again to actualize that potential uh so

in this way you can flourish you can

become more fully who you can be and

that's again what these liberal arts are

doing

so what are these Seven Liberal Arts

we've mentioned already the Trivium

which is of course the title of this

series

Trivium via means ways right a VM means

a way so Trivium

is a collection of three ways or three

Paths of formation or learning those are

grammar rhetoric and logic now they're

not placed in that order randomly you

build up from one to the next right so

you start with grammar what are you

doing in grammar you're learning about

symbols how to put letters together into

words how to put words together into

sentences this is an entry level skill

right if I say Matt cat on is the

that doesn't make any sense the syntax

is wrong the words are in the wrong

order if I say the cat is on the mat the

syntax is right I am conveying a meaning

to you grammar is just a way of training

the writer or speaker to speak or write

in such a way that others can understand

her

rhetoric is a Step Beyond that okay so I

say the cat is on the mat very nice I've

conveyed some information but I haven't

really compelled maybe or inspired you

right as a speaker we want not only to

convey information but we want to engage

an audience we want the audience to see

what we're saying and to accept it right

and there are lots of different

approaches to this we're going to look

at some of them in the course that's a

second order kind of ability and thus

the second of the Seven Liberal Arts

third is logic and logic is fun fact

actually a part of rhetoric as well

right it's a some strategy that you

might use in a speech to compel your

audience but it's also since Aristotle a

standalone discipline we might engage in

logic outside of the context of of any

speech right we might simply think in

order to deduce or derive new

information from the evidence we have

before for us or from other things that

we happen to know this is a third order

skill right we're building on okay we

can make a sentence we can speak the

sentence in a compelling way but now we

want to actually discover the truth we

want to learn what is true by reflecting

on what we already know

now

once you have those three arts in place

you are Adept at these three things

you're able to go on to other things

the Trivium is we talk about like a

trivia night at bar right at a bar or um

the game Trivial Pursuit

this word trivia refers to like simple

facts that you need to know before you

can go on to other things or just kind

of unimportant details in our current

usage this is because the trivia uh the

Trivium uh were the Arts you needed to

learn before the quadrivium which is our

second group of the Seven Liberal Arts

there are four of them

again these four ways are not randomly

placed they begin with arithmetic right

this is an engagement with as I have on

the slide here discrete quantity or

number one two three four two plus two

equals four right multiplication

subtraction division I'm working with

numbers numbers are discrete quantities

in the sense that they just stand alone

number number right and I can put those

in order in order to discover new

knowledge kind of like I did in logic

music follows arithmetic now that might

seem like a random inclusion but think

about the theory of music what you're

doing there is working with discrete

tones right so you have various notes

they have a pitch a duration all right

and that pitch and duration

differentiates them

and then you place those in order in a

certain way according to the principles

of of Music Theory and create something

that is harmonious and and beautiful

again you're working here with discrete

quantities but now you're putting them

together in a way that harmonizes this

continues in geometry and astronomy the

last of the Seven Liberal Arts but here

you're not working with number number

discreet things you're working with

continuous quantities curves of orbits

as in astronomy moving things right so

geometry trains you in how to work with

those in an abstract way but then

astronomy enables you to understand the

harmonious relationships among those

things so there is a logic as it were to

these Seven Liberal Arts and they again

all go together in a way to form the

student

now an image that I really like is is

this one uh it's from the 15th century

so just the kind of beginning of the

Renaissance here we see that the Seven

Liberal Arts you probably can't see it

on the slide are aligned with Seven

Virtues Of The Classical world the seven

most important virtues you start with

the three virtues of faith hope and love

and these are what are called the

theological virtues they're understood

within the Christian tradition as

something that is received as a gift

virtue in general remember means a good

habit something that enables you to

flourish and in this way it is similar

to The Seven Liberal Arts these are

joined by the four cardinal virtues

Prudence Justice fortitude and

Temperance and all seven of these the

theological and cardinal virtues are

lined up with the Seven Liberal Arts

logic rhetoric grammar arithmetic music

geometry and astronomy now I don't know

if it's exactly a one-to-one

correspondence but the idea is just as

the Seven Liberal Arts have a certain

Unity about them and together produce a

kind of integrated

developed person right so too is there a

Unity among the virtues and there's an

interesting debate about that

historically whether you can have just

one of the virtues or if you have one

you have all of them in both cases

though we see that what we would call

today ethics right or morality character

is implicated in in both of these areas

and the liberal arts aren't just about

technical skills but they're about who

you are

we see that emphasized in another way

I'd like to frame the liberal arts let's

put up a couple other areas of Arts here

the Practical arts and the Fine Arts

right so the Practical Arts include

everything from carpentry and plumbing

to business law and banking right these

are practical we would say today skills

right you need to work with something

outside of yourself you need to become

skilled at it Adept at it and able to

produce a certain outcome practically

speaking right we learned this in

college it's very important this is uh

paralleled in some way by the Fine Arts

where again you're working with material

outside yourself you need to know that

material if you're a carpenter you need

to know about the wood you're working

with if you're a painter you need to

understand the chemistry of the paint

that you're working with right and how

it will interact with other media in

your composition

the liberal arts are classically

understood as distinct from these two

right the liberal arts include what we

would today call the Arts and Humanities

right these are the the useless

disciplines because you're not so much

learning skills to work with something

outside of yourself you're doing

something different what are you doing

we can understand the difference between

these two by introducing a distinction

between the transitive arts and the

intransitive Arts right so transitive

means uh transition right there's an

action on my part and I apply that

action to an object right so there's a

Transit from my action to the object the

Practical arts and the Fine Arts focus

on that I need to become skilled at that

the liberal arts are intransitive Arts

right so whereas in the case of the

Practical and Fine Arts I might say oh

okay I plane the wood right I'm a

carpenter there's wood it's an object

I'm engaged in an action of planing it

in the case of the intransitive Arts the

liberal arts it's more like a rose

blooms right the rose doesn't Bloom

something there's no object the rose

itself blooms you're transforming the

actor the agent the subject herself

right you're not focused on interaction

with something outside of yourself and

again that is what the liberal arts aims

to do to help us actualize our potential

a couple alternative framings here here

we have grammar rhetoric and logic this

image aligns them with knowledge wisdom

and understanding and joins them

together in the center under what is

called true learning or Mastery right so

classically speaking once you know these

three liberal arts the first three the

Trivium you are you have mastered right

the the basic skills you need to go on

to the quadrivium into other fields of

study

in this one the order of the three is

modified we go from grammar to logic to

rhetoric and and that is sometimes done

but this presents it as the learning of

facts and rules and then the learning of

relations between those facts and then

finally the engagement in criticism and

persuasion there's an interesting debate

historically about the relation between

rhetoric and logic figure like isocrates

not Socrates but I Socrates in the

classical Greek world was a master

rhetorician and upheld the Primacy of

rhetoric whereas Socrates uh kind of

founder of Western philosophy upheld

logic and what he called dialectic or

what we might call critical thinking as

the primary as the primary activity of a

rational mind

let's talk a bit about logic since much

of this course is going to deal with

logic from around 400 BC when Aristotle

was living until 1900 like the 20th

century the study of logic mostly meant

the study of Aristotle right the

Aristotle had had laid out logic he

established or as we'll see later

invented formal logic done as something

that you can you know be taught and

something you can study and for

centuries and this as in other fields

Aristotle was the philosopher he was the

guy that you go to the standard of

thought in the 1910s however

um Bertrand Russell and Alfred North

Whitehead published their book principia

Mathematica in three volumes during the

decade of the 1910s and this absolutely

revolutionized how logic is done no

longer were you working with what we

call ordinary language sentences and

propositions stated in English say as

we're using in this lecture you were

dealing with symbols and in this image

taken from the principia Mathematica you

can begin to appreciate the complexity

and even the strangeness of this new

mathematical language logic came to be

understood as indeed a branch of

mathematics and the work of Bertrand

Russell and Alfred North White had

contributed importantly to the

development of computer technology uh

and and

big changes in how we think about and

teach logic we will not in this course

be looking at symbolic Magic In This

Modern form we're going to be focused on

again the Arts of the Trivium The

Classical liberal arts and we'll be

looking at the logic primarily of

Aristotle

um that being said I want to just kind

of locate what we're going to be doing

in this series on this very helpful

chart taken from Google Images thank you

very much we have at the top here logic

and then we engage in something we'll

discuss later the division of terms

right you start with logic okay there

are two different kinds of logic

informal logic and formal logic right

and then under formal logic there are

similarly two different kinds of formal

logic deductive and inductive and we can

locate what we're going to do in this

series right here we're engaged in a

kind of logic that's that's not modern

symbolic logic right so we're looking at

Aristotle traditional Aristotelian logic

including things like the categorical

syllogism but we're also looking at

informal logic at how to define things

the classification of things recognizing

and diagramming arguments

also in this course we'll be looking at

logical fallacies and this is something

that gets a lot of attention in courses

on critical reasoning and logic there

are two different kinds of fallacies

helpfully distinguished on this slide

informal and formal so informal

fallacies relate to content like maybe

the meaning of a term is not entirely

clear whereas formal fallacies relate to

form there is some kind of error in your

thinking right as you move from premise

one premise two to the conclusion

something goes amiss right what we're

going to do in this course is focus on

formal fallacies that is fallacies

pertaining to the structure or the form

of arguments we're going to try and

learn to find those arguments in things

that we see and read and identify

exactly why they are in error

so just a few more slides here on what

this series is going to cover we're

starting in lecture two with grammar and

syntax so again that concerns the order

of words what words are we're going to

be focusing of course on English

language and then we'll move on to

rhetoric right and rhetoric again is

about the compelling

um uh composition of language in such a

way as to move a particular audience

from there the bulk of the lectures from

5 till 20 are going to deal with logic

right and we're going to move through

three areas following the presentation

of the author Hauser in his book logic

as a liberal art and I will link to that

book in the description of this video

we'll focus first on the logic of terms

that is identifying specific terms and

words that are used in an argument

we'll move on to the logic of

propositions

um so distinguishing between a just a

sentence and what proposition is being

made in that sentence I have here so

what you're saying is the idea being

something like

um you know I say something but there

might be an implication right there

might be a claim contained in my words

that I'm not stating directly but I can

still identify we're going to look for

those propositions in sentences and

finally we'll look at the logic of

arguments where we combine propositions

in such a way as to derive from them new

knowledge things we did not know before

all three of these things again are Arts

that we can learn these lectures are

just a very beginning point on that but

practicing these skills on your own is

going to be a way to sharpen your

ability to engage effectively with the

world and actualize your potential

because that's what we keep coming back

to

just briefly I want to identify what we

mean by proposition and then we'll look

at a couple quick examples of arguments

so you'll see the kind of arguments that

we'll be working with later in the

course the first slide here lists

various types of sentence right so we

have five is a prime number

we have did you lock the door moving

down we have Jane Austen is the author

of Pride and Prejudice right

um on the side on the right we see that

each of these is a different kind of

sentence but only three of them are in

fact propositions right five is a prime

number eight is an odd number and Jane

Austen is the author of Pride and

Prejudice now whether or not these are

true because we can see that 8 is an odd

number is in fact not true it is

nonetheless a proposition in this case a

false proposition it is making a claim

it is predicating something of the

subject right it is saying eight is an

odd number now that can either be true

or false right in this case it is false

other sentences that we can say like did

you lock the door happy birthday please

pass the salt are not propositions

they're not making a claim

um she walks to school is itself not a

proposition but she is walking to school

or she uh she walks to school every day

there could be a proposition contained

in that but as stated the sentence is

not yet a proposition

um the last slide here I just want to

take a look at a couple arguments these

are what are called syllogisms and we're

going to be building up to this

throughout the course some syllogisms

are valid and some are invalid some are

sound and some are unsound we're going

to talk about validity and soundness but

just take a look at the first of these

which is framed as being both valid and

believable right all flowers need light

roses are flowers roses need light all

right so this has two premises all

flowers need light roses or flowers and

it has a conclusion roses need light now

if I only knew in the world those two

premises the first two all flowers need

light roses or flowers if that's all the

information I had about the world I

would not yet know that roses need light

right now in this case I am provided

with new information in the conclusion

now this is the kind of argument that

often will just do in our head right

this is not something that you need

formal logic to do we're using a simple

example intentionally but it's it's

instructive because it exposes how

intuitively we might think about things

and we can sharpen and improve our

intuitions our logical intuitions by

looking at it in this formal way that's

what we're going to be doing in the

series and finally here an example of an

argument that is invalid and

unbelievable all mammals can walk

spiders can walk spiders are mammals

okay spiders are not mammals we happen

to know that from other sources right so

we have here an untrue conclusion how do

we get to that right what we're going to

be doing later in the course is mapping

out not just kind of is it true or is it

not in general but precisely where does

it go wrong where does the argument go

wrong and how could you change the

argument to bring off a true conclusion

based on those premises

that does it for lecture one the liberal

arts are the Arts that liberate they

liberate you to actualize your potential

and to more effectively accomplish your

purposes in the world and engage with

reality I look forward to continuing our

discussion in the series