Mathematics and the Liberal Arts

Abstract

The Liberal Arts deal with the human being as a whole and hence with what lies at the essence of being human. As a result, the Liberal Arts have a far greater capacity to do good than other fields of study, for their foundation in philosophy enables them to bring students into contact with the ultimate questions which they are free to accept (or reject). Even if these questions have little or no ‘market value’, it should be obvious that the way they are taught and learned is going to have a powerful impact upon the future of the students and society. It is suggested here that mathematics has an integral role in the study of the liberal arts in a first degree at a university where the ‘meal ticket’ is subsequently studied in the graduate or professional school.

Keywords

• metaphysics, liberal arts, trivium quadrivium, humanism.