The Trivium

A member of the TragedyandHope.com online multimedia magazine and community connecting over 1,000 inquiring individuals around the world in an interactive environment of mutuality, trust, respect, and free thinking presents;

Tony Myers

The Founding of this Country From a Canadian Free Press article by Kelly O’Connell on July 4th, 2011: II. Overview of American Revolutionary Influences The general influences of Americans supporting the Revolution were as follows: A. England’s “Unwritten Constitution” & Legal History: This includes Magna Carta, Bill of Rights and Parliamentary style of

government.

B. Classical Thinkers - The American Founders read Classical authors. Writes one author: The typical education of colonial times began at about age eight. Students lucky enough to attend school normally learned Latin and Greek grammar. They read the historians Tacitus and Livy, Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides, and translated the Latin poetry of Virgil and Horace. They were expected to know the language well enough to translate from the original into English and back again to the original in another grammatical tense. Classical Education also stressed the seven liberal arts: Latin, logic, rhetoric (the “trivium”), as well as arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music (the “quadrivium”).

C. Enlightenment - Many Americans read widely in the European Enlightenment including the French philosophers, British empiricists—like Locke, and Scottish Enlightenment thinkers such as Frances Hutcheson.D. British Puritan Revolution Pamphlets—(see below). E. Christianity—Both the Constitution in general, and specifically the concept of Federalism—were based upon the Biblical concept of “Covenant.”

The Founding of this CountryFirst Admiral in the American Navy, David Farragut, was in

charge of a warship in the war of 1812Only 12 years old

George Washington, the first president of the U.S.,Only went to school for two years

Started at the age of 11 by studying Trigonometry, then Geometry, then surveying, then dropped out and put himself through a course of naval architecture, scientific formulations, homebuilding, financial courses, and a major in the American militia by the age of 17

2nd President of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson, was in charge of a plantation with 250 employees at the age of 12, his parents were already deceased

Ben Franklin crossed the Atlantic at the age of 14 working to support himself 60 hours a week employing his own course of study

The Founding of this Country

Freedom Obtained first and foremost by having an independent mind by adhering to a method of critical

thinking and creative problem solving Practical, hands on skill, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, the ability to recognize and meet their

needs of survival 99% Literacy

Up until the late 1800’s a good education in the U.S. could be obtained without the need for government interference or oversight

50% of a population of 3 million in 1776 were indentured servants and 20 percent were African slaves; and, yet during that time 600,000 copies of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense were sold

By 1812, with a population of approximately 7 million, Pierre DuPont wrote in Education in the United States, "...that out of every 1,000 persons fewer than four can’t read or do numbers."

Had no choice but to be self-reliant Definition of Liberal

Latin root liber means book From liber we obtain liberty, liberal, libertarian (one who holds to Free will) ‘libertine’ (a Freed

man) Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/59477947/Definition-of-Liberal-by-Jan-Irvin

Many ancient philosophers equated a person’s ability to read with the potentiality for their being free

Problems in our World Today…Monsanto

GMOGlyphosate – Roundup

General lack of understanding of Cause and EffectGovernment/PoliticsDisregard for our basic freedoms and the constitution

Cannabis Hemp illegal?Most useful plant in the world

Ships and Sails, Textiles and Fabrics, Fiber and Pulp Paper, Rope, Twine, and Cordage, Art Canvases, Paints and Varnishes, Lighting Oil, Bio Mass Energy, Medicine, Food, Oils, and Proteins, Building Materials and Housing, Medicinal, Economic Stability

Ford, Rockefeller, and Prohibition

Some Quotes…Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it

everywhere! George Washington in a note to his gardener at Mount Vernon

(1794), The Writings of George Washington, Volume 33, page 270 (Library of Congress)

Benjamin Franklin started one of America’s first paper mills with cannabis. This allowed America to have a free colonial press without having to beg or justify the need for paper and books from England.The Emperor Wears No Clothes by Jack Herer

"An acre of the best ground for hemp, is to be selected and sewn in hemp and be kept for a permanent hemp patch." - Thomas Jefferson's Garden book 1849

What allows for Self-Reliance

First and foremost, a well trained mindIn order to have a well trained mind a methodology must be

appliedTo discern fact from fiction, reality from unrealityA process to learn anything for yourself

Allows for us all to become Polymaths: A polymath (Greek polymathēs, "having learned much") is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas

Autonomy: Autonomy (Ancient Greek: autonomous from auto-"self" + nomos, "law" "one who gives oneself their own law") is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision.

Some Key Terms and ConceptsHere in the physical world, we’re all familiar with how corporations

identify themselves… with logos. In the ancient Greek, logos, often translated as word or number, originally meant ratio. The Pythagoreans developed a theory of ratio and proportion as applied to numbers. Early translators rendered this into Latin as ratio, meaning "reason" (as in "rational"). Medieval writers used the word proportio ("proportion") to indicate ratio and proportionalitas ("proportionality") for the equality of ratios.

It is innate to the human species that we have the ability to form and use ratios, and thus to be rational. This is the key to what makes us human, our ability to recognize and use letters, thus building words, creating sentences, writing paragraphs, and sharing information beyond our lifetime. Just as one might build an entire city of bricks, there is an entire reality built from letters, words, and language; and we’re all aware that all too often in history, words have been used to create invisible prisons, and to enslave minds.

Some Key Terms and Concepts Con’t Rationality - The ability to perceive, understand, and use ratios and

proportions; as well as to utilize all capacities subsumed by that ability (i.e., organized language and mathematics, for example).Existence - Every substance, action, attribute, and relationship that is, was, or ever will be.Identity - That which an existent is; the sum total of its attributes or characteristics.Consciousness - The faculty of awareness of that which exists.Validation - The process of establishing an ideal’s relation to reality (existence).Law of Causality - A substance must act in accord with its nature. This is a corollary to "Identity" mentioned above.

Educare – Latin for “to draw out” Occultare – To hide or conceal Government – From the Latin gubernare, a verb meaning “to control”

combined with mente, a Latin noun, meaning mind. Government means mind control

What is the Trivium?Trivium is Latin for the intersection or joining

together of three roads; a place where three roads meet

Metaphor for three steps:Grammar (Knowledge)Logic; Aristotelian or classical logic

(Understanding)Classical Rhetoric (Wisdom)

What is the Trivium Con’tGeneral Grammar – Systematic method of gathering raw data, of

a similar nature, into a body of knowledgeWhen that gathering of information is complete this is what we

refer to as a subjectAristotelian Logic – The method of bringing full and intimate

understanding to that body of knowledgeBy systematically eliminating all stated contradictions within that

body of knowledgeNow have a set of knowledge, of data, that is coherent and

meaningful due to the applications of the rules of grammar; and, we have an understanding brought about my making that knowledge consistent by applying the rules of logic

Classical Rhetoric would be the ability to communicate this body of knowledge (grammar) that has been understood (logic), through verbal or written communication

General Grammar or KnowledgeAnswers the questions:

Who, What, When, Where of a subject class.Who? Translates as: “What is the identity of

the person involved?”What? Translates as: “What is the identity of

the subject, concept, or topic involved?”Where? Translates as: “What is the identity

of the location or place?”When? Translates as: “What is the identity of

the time?”

Aristotelian LogicAnswers the Why of a subject class.Why? Translates as: “What is the identity of the cause?”

Once parts have been established by the five senses, the why answers the objects’ relationship with the rest of its’ surroundings.

It employs the following techniques: Logical Fallacies – Errors in logical thinking

Ad Hominem Ad Populum Equivocation Etc…

Rules for proper inference Deductive validity

And Inductive validity

The role of judgment and definition All about the law of identity

Classical RhetoricHow? Translates as: “What is the identity of

the means or process?”It’s our ability to effectively communicate,

through written or spoken medium, what we have gathered as knowledge, removed the contradictions with understanding, and now have the wisdom to impart this general body of knowledge to others.

Let’s turn this into an Analogy

Who Developed the Trivium? Pythagoras

An ancient Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician (c. 570-c. 495 BC) Developed the Quadrivium (mentioned later), and elements of the Trivium

Requirement to know Geometry to enter Plato’s academy, which refers to Pythagoras and his formulation of the Trivium and Quadrivium; a process where by which you can come to learn and understand anything for yourself

Aristotle Greek Philosopher (384 BC – 322 BC), student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great Greatest contributor to the development and of the Trivium Formalized Logical Processes

A Brief Word on the Quadrivium The Quadrivium consists of the subjects:

Mathematics – Number in itself, which is a pure abstraction; that is, outside of space and time. Number in itself.

Geometry Number in space.

Music or Harmonic Theory Number in time.

Cosmology Number in space and time.

After teaching students the Trivium the students were then capable of teaching themselves any subject and in classical times the bodies of knowledge that were the focus of those times were the that of the Quadrivium

The Quadrivium shows the building blocks of form and matter, and their integrative and relational characteristics. That which is characteristic of all nature in abstraction, form, sound, and movement.

After the Trivium is mastered a student can go on to learn any discipline for themselves employing the Trivium method

Nuclear physics, Basketball, Farming; literally any body of knowledge we call a subject

Fundamental Axioms/AssumptionsAny method of understanding the world around us maintains

certain fundamental principles, axioms, or assumptions of nature and how we come to understand nature

Two Important Philosophic Axioms which any philosophy must first answer:Metaphysical – Answers the question – “What is?”Epistemological – Answers the question “How do we know what

is?”; or, rather, what instruments do we use to obtain data about the world around us?

Other concerns:Ethical – Answers the question – “Now that we know what is and

how to understand it, what do we do about it?” How does this understanding of nature and the world around us provide

us with a guide by which we develop ourselves and our communities Natural law

Fundamental Axioms Assumptions of the Trivium Metaphysical – Primacy of nature.

As defined by Aristotle Existence, Consciousness, and Causality

Entities and relationships Existence - Every substance, action, attribute, and relationship that is, was, or

ever will be. Primacy of nature vs. existence

Root of the word art Tree vs. Car

Epistemological – Five senses. Our five senses are instruments we use to gather data about the physical world

Ethical – Axiom of non-aggression. Axiom of non-aggression: is an ethical stance which asserts that "aggression" is

inherently illegitimate. "Aggression" is defined as the "initiation" of physical force against persons or property, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property. In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not preclude violent self-defense. The principle is a deontological (or rule-based) ethical stance.

The Trivium reminds me of something…?It’s kind of like ordering food from a menu, or

assembling a computer, or reading an instruction manual (at least a good one)

By observing nature and using a process of critical thinking to understand the world around us; kind of sounds like…

PERMACULTURE!Observe and replicate natural patterns

Gathering data into a general body of knowledge General Grammar aka Knowledge

Natural succession: Work with nature and natural processes. Anticipate future developments through research and observation whenever necessary.Essence of good logic

Personal responsibility: Our actions affect our own lives, our families’ lives, our friends’ lives and anyone else who has direct or indirect contact with us. Any constructive sustainable actions that we do will create benefits for many. The same is true of destructive actions, their affects will be felt far and wide.Cause and effectFarmer’s Intuition

Permaculture Ethics Trivium Ethics Care of the Earth

...includes all living and non-living things—plants, animals, land, water and air

Care of People...promotes self-reliance and community responsibility—access to resources necessary for existence

Setting Limits to Population & Consumption...gives away surplus—contribution of surplus time, labor, money, information, and energy to achieve the aims of earth and people care.

Permaculture also acknowledges a basic life ethic, which recognizes the intrinsic worth of every living thing. A tree has value in itself, even if it presents no commercial value to humans. That the tree is alive and functioning is worthwhile. It is doing its part in nature: recycling litter, producing oxygen, sequestering carbon dioxide, sheltering animals, building soils, and so on.

Axiom of non-aggression 1. Axiom of non-aggression: is an ethical

stance which asserts that "aggression" is inherently illegitimate. "Aggression" is defined as the "initiation" of physical force against persons or property, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property. In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not preclude violent self-defense. The principle is a deontological (or rule-based) ethical stance.

Natural Law Natural law is a view that certain rights or

values are inherent in or universally cognizable by virtue of human reason or human nature.

Natural law has been described as a law whose content is set by nature and is thus universal.

Observe nature and deduce axiomatic moral principles from such…

Why is it Important to have a method like the Trivium? “This is simply the communication of knowledge and understanding, or wisdom, which precipitates

from answering the question: How? It is in taking the grammar and applying logic, which creates what is referred to as rhetoric, or the expression of wisdom. However, if an audience lacks intellectual self-defense, and does not question the rhetoric they consume, they can soon be misled; this is why it is imperative that we, the people, become skilled in the art of using this three step process, known as the Trivium method of critical thinking and creative problem solving. Whether referred to as Input, Processing and Output, or How to Observe, How to Think, How to Communicate, or Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom, or Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric; it’s all referring to the identical implicit and natural process we all have as human beings. This, is why it’s removed from the public education system and preserved within the elite universities, mystery schools, and secret societies… it is the single secret which allows them to create and maintain power in the first place, by amputating our curiosity and ability to learn for ourselves, making us dependent on teachers in Pavlovian classrooms using Wundtian implementations of experimental psychology to condition us like Skinner’s pigeons… where we can read, just enough, to be efficiently and effectively controlled. B.F. Skinner deprived his pigeons of food, and then used food to corrupt the actions of the birds, and our non-elected rulers deprive us of information and money, and then use these deficiencies to corrupt our actions in their favor. This is the root cause of why the status quo is in direct conflict with human needs of survival. This is why; in the 15,000 hours you spent in public schooling did not teach you that which you’ve learned within this hour lesson. It is the most important thing which can be taught, and yet it is conspicuously absent from our status quo.”

Richard Grove, TragedyandHope.com Quality of decision making as a determinant to the quality of our lives

Brief History of American Education Prussian Education

Battle of Jena 1804 Institutional Re-evaluation

A strategy was devised in which the Prussian government would set up a forced government educational system which would turn out well disciplined students who would follow orders without questioning authority. To accomplish this feat, the goal of educating children became a national priority permeated with strategies adapted to turn out a national work force rather then an educated citizenry. Every step in the education process was calculated to offer authority figures the least amount of trouble and consequently train a well disciplined albeit docile citizen.

William James and John Dewey (pragmatism) Pavlov, Wundt, Skinner

Similar to bells, rules, curriculum, ad verecundiam, perpetual boredom, and dulling of the senses and imagination

Calvin, Spinoza, Darwin Descent of Man

Cybernetics and Nobert Wiener Macy Conferences

Brief History of American EducationEdward Everett, America’s first Ph.D., Governor of

MassachusettsNeeded a way to deal with the influx of poor Irish

CatholicsHorace Mann

System produced a willing, cheap labor force with minimal reading and numbers skills

Shortly after the system was installed in Massachusetts, the Governor of New York set up 12 different schools on a trial basis and within two weeks declared the system a successSounds like Monsanto’s testing of GMO’s…

Results of Prussian Education Working against the concepts and principles the Founding Fathers provided in the Constitution, the Prussian system has

produced a gradual but statistically provable decline in literacy and intellectual capability of typical Americans. We can track the five different stages that American education has gone through: 1750-1852—The idea of government controlled schools was conceived; 1852-1900—It was politically debated in state legislatures; 1900-1920—We had government controlled industrialized factory modeled schooling; 1920-1960—Schools changed from being academically focused to becoming socialized; and 1960 to the Present—Schools became psychological experimental labs.

In the year 1941 the Defense Department was preparing for World War II. In testing 18 million men between 1941 and 1944, the Defense Department found 96 percent of those tested were literate. During this same period, among African Americans who were tested—the majority of whom had only three years of schooling—80 percent were found to be literate. By literate we mean that Americans, both white and black, could read with understanding.

During the Korean War the Department of Defense tested three million men for service and only 19 percent were found to be literate. In less then 10 years there had been a 500 percent rise in illiteracy. Perplexed, the Defense Department investigated and found that the same test had been used during the two wars and the only difference was that those men and women tested during the Korean War had more schooling—at a significantly higher cost.

Twenty years later, around 1970, the same test was used at the time of a new war. Among the Vietnam draftees and enlistees who were tested for literacy only 27 percent were found to be capable of reading with understanding the material which they needed in order to serve in the armed forces. Again the major difference between American soldiers in the 1940’s and the 1970’s was more schooling for the latter group at a higher cost to the taxpayers.

Consider that the billions of taxpayer dollars were spent over the time period from the 1940’s to the present increased by some 350 percent with totally unacceptable results despite all the increased spending. In 1996 statistics prepared by the National Association of Education for Progress showed that some 44 percent of African Americans can not read at all. The same set of statistics shows that illiteracy among whites has quadrupled. Incredibly, educating Americans continues to cost massive amounts of taxpayer dollars to achieve unacceptable and devastatingly poor results.

Source: Gene Odening Source Materials – TragedyandHope.com

So it sounds like the implementation of the Prussian education system is in the direct conflict of natural law and the human needs of survival in our word today.

The Trivium represents a time-tested method, developed two millennia ago and refined throughout the centuries, which spurned:The Greek Renaissance, Arab Renaissance,

Italian and European Renaissances out of which formulated the concepts of freedom, liberty, private property etc., on which the U.S. was founded

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