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Wooden Books
Trivium: The Classical Liberal Arts of Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric
Following the success of Quadrivium, Sciencia, and Designa, Trivium combines six small books on the classical subjects of a liberal education.
The trivium refers to the three liberal arts considered in classical Greece to be the pillars of critical thought: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Following on the success of Quadrivium and Sciencia, Trivium gathers six Wooden Books titles together into a beautiful six-color package that presents ancient wisdom in an accessible way. Trivium includes the books Euphonics, Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric,, Poetic Meter and Form, and Ethics.
The trivium refers to the three liberal arts considered in classical Greece to be the pillars of critical thought: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Following on the success of Quadrivium and Sciencia, Trivium gathers six Wooden Books titles together into a beautiful six-color package that presents ancient wisdom in an accessible way. Trivium includes the books Euphonics, Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric,, Poetic Meter and Form, and Ethics.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
87 people are currently reading
1,323 people want to read
About the author
John Michell
123 books66 followersJohn Frederick Carden Michell was an English writer whose key sources of inspiration were Plato and Charles Fort. His 1969 volume The View Over Atlantis has been described as probably the most influential book in the history of the hippy/underground movement and one that had far-reaching effects on the study of strange phenomena: it "put ley lines on the map, re-enchanted the British landscape and made Glastonbury the capital of the New Age."
In some 40-odd titles over five decades he examined, often in pioneering style, such topics as sacred geometry, earth mysteries, geomancy, gematria, archaeoastronomy, metrology, euphonics, simulacra and sacred sites, as well as Fortean phenomena. An abiding preoccupation was the Shakespeare authorship question. His Who Wrote Shakespeare? (1996) was reckoned by The Washington Post "the best overview yet of the authorship question."
In some 40-odd titles over five decades he examined, often in pioneering style, such topics as sacred geometry, earth mysteries, geomancy, gematria, archaeoastronomy, metrology, euphonics, simulacra and sacred sites, as well as Fortean phenomena. An abiding preoccupation was the Shakespeare authorship question. His Who Wrote Shakespeare? (1996) was reckoned by The Washington Post "the best overview yet of the authorship question."
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 27, 2021
This is really a remarkable book for how much knowledge and information it condenses. The editing and writing are quite wonderful as most subtopics are distilled down to two pages in which the writing manages to convey historical context, relevant examples, and entertaining explanation.
It's divided into 6 books by main topics: Euphonics, Grammar, Poetic Meter & Form, Logic, Rhetoric, and Ethics. Despite not really being interested in the euphonics section and always finding grammar to be a slightly dry read even in the hands of the masterful, I'm still giving this five stars. You get a sense for the writing from such passages as this:
The logic and rhetoric sections were delightful:
And the book is sprinkled with entertaining anecdotes and samples ranging from the classic to the humorously current (for an example of antimetabole--a close relative of chiasmus in which reverse-order repetition of words is used--the book uses a Snoop Dogg quote: "With my mind on my money and my money on my mind.").
The rhetoric section has good advice/warnings:
And parts of it were all too relevant to current U.S. political dynamics and what passes as discourse these days:
Ethics feels like it is a topic sorely needed as we don't often pause to think about these questions and much of the emphasis on education seems to be job/profession-based as opposed to dealing with both how to think critically and what it means to live a good life.
For all its classical references and appealing latin or greek phrases, the book also presents snapshots of where current studies/academics have taken us...
Even the appendices are interesting, starting off with many pages of proverbs.
And more noteworthy anecdotes:
This book worked for me as it made me think, learn, and want to read/learn more. Also, there's something really satisfying about the orderly arrangement of knowledge and learning terminology for techniques and activities used throughout so much human history.
--------------------------------
Some other favorite international proverbs in the appendix:
- Even the stupidest person seems wise if he keeps his mouth shut.
- A wise man sits over the hole in his own carpet.
- If you advise a bear you deserve your fate.
- No enemy is worse than bad advice.
- Four things do not return: spoken words, flighted arrows, past life, and lost opportunities.
----------------------------
SOME OF THE CHOICE NEW WORDS/CONCEPTS I PICKED UP WHILE READING
polyptoton | chiasmus | Sorites Paradox | epicheireme | catachresis (see also, hotel manager at Balbec in the late 1800s) | litotes | dysphemism | procatalepsis | epizeuxis | bdelygmia | soraismus | paremiologist | apophthegm | autotelic
----------------------------
A similar example of Aristotle's list of virtuous traits is included in this book.
It's divided into 6 books by main topics: Euphonics, Grammar, Poetic Meter & Form, Logic, Rhetoric, and Ethics. Despite not really being interested in the euphonics section and always finding grammar to be a slightly dry read even in the hands of the masterful, I'm still giving this five stars. You get a sense for the writing from such passages as this:
“The sentence is the largest unit of grammar. It is often defined as the expression of a complete thought, although one person’s complete thought may not be another’s. Perhaps the simplest way to define sentence is to say that it is a meaningful string of words with a capital letter at the beginning and a stop of some kind at the end.”I've read at least a couple books on poetry, was an undergraduate major in English, and minored in creative writing, and this is both the most enjoyable and the most informative explanation I've ever come across in terms of conveying formal poetic terms and rhyme schemes/meter.
The logic and rhetoric sections were delightful:
“While reason enables us to plan for the future, understand the past, and engage successfully with the present, logic is interested in the laws by which reason operates. Logicians want to know what makes one argument valid, and another plain wrong. This can be very useful, because people do not always think or speak the truth: they can be in error, they can lie, and they can ‘rationalize’ in crooked ways.”
And the book is sprinkled with entertaining anecdotes and samples ranging from the classic to the humorously current (for an example of antimetabole--a close relative of chiasmus in which reverse-order repetition of words is used--the book uses a Snoop Dogg quote: "With my mind on my money and my money on my mind.").
The rhetoric section has good advice/warnings:
“Style begins to suffer the minute it takes itself too seriously. When rhetoric omits the other canons, trusting only in style, it gives up persuasion. The minute style is everything, style is nothing: it becomes mere ornament, often kitsch.
And parts of it were all too relevant to current U.S. political dynamics and what passes as discourse these days:
“... epideictic rhetoric is all about advertising, (self-)display, praise and blame, about the values ‘we’ share and others do not. It is the species of rhetoric that ‘tribal talk’ is done in, as one author put it. It is also the most myopic kind of rhetoric, which never strays far from the present (‘I’m loving it’), even when invoking the future (‘The future is bright. The future is Orange.’). It shuns reasons in favour of character and emotional appeals. Argument shrinks to slogan, as copy pushes out humanistic copia. Total advertising’s allure with its restricted and constricting rhetoric, is that is has one very simple answer---consumption---to all the complex issues of our world. That is also its fatal flaw.”
Ethics feels like it is a topic sorely needed as we don't often pause to think about these questions and much of the emphasis on education seems to be job/profession-based as opposed to dealing with both how to think critically and what it means to live a good life.
“To be ethical is to have formed one’s life in such a way that, through deliberate excellent actions, one has confirmed and consolidated those qualities of character and intellect that make for a worthwhile and beautiful human existence.”
“Problems arise when ethics is conceived only in terms of rules. Life is complex, so no set of rules can be specific enough to cover every circumstance. A rule-based approach tends to encourage searching for loopholes and “gaming the system”. Rules can conflict, and often require interpretation. If ethics is nothing but rules, then further rules will be needed to decide what to do when rules and interpretations conflict. Such problems show why it can be seen as better to understand ethics as having to do, first and foremost, with character. Actions shape character, including the action of following good rules.”
“Socrates discovered only what is available to every reflective adult: the quest for authentic self-understanding involves acknowledging one’s limitations.”
For all its classical references and appealing latin or greek phrases, the book also presents snapshots of where current studies/academics have taken us...
“Psychologist Martin Seligman identifies five elements crucial for human well-being: ‘P is positive emotion, E is engagement, R is relationships, M is meaning and A is accomplishment. Those are the five elements of what free people choose to do. Pretty much everything else is in service of one or more of these goals.’"
Even the appendices are interesting, starting off with many pages of proverbs.
“A proverb’s frequent purpose is to make people pause for a moment and reflect. In Gaelic-speaking Ireland, for example, a fight caused by a bad comment might be stopped with It’s often that man’s mouth broke his nose.”
And more noteworthy anecdotes:
“Shakespeare gave more proverbs to the English than anyone else and often used John Heywood’s Dialogue Conteinyng The Nomber In Effect Of All The Proverbes In the Englishe Tongue Of 1546 as a source, lifting from it such lines as All’s well that ends well.”
This book worked for me as it made me think, learn, and want to read/learn more. Also, there's something really satisfying about the orderly arrangement of knowledge and learning terminology for techniques and activities used throughout so much human history.
--------------------------------
Some other favorite international proverbs in the appendix:
- Even the stupidest person seems wise if he keeps his mouth shut.
- A wise man sits over the hole in his own carpet.
- If you advise a bear you deserve your fate.
- No enemy is worse than bad advice.
- Four things do not return: spoken words, flighted arrows, past life, and lost opportunities.
----------------------------
SOME OF THE CHOICE NEW WORDS/CONCEPTS I PICKED UP WHILE READING
polyptoton | chiasmus | Sorites Paradox | epicheireme | catachresis (see also, hotel manager at Balbec in the late 1800s) | litotes | dysphemism | procatalepsis | epizeuxis | bdelygmia | soraismus | paremiologist | apophthegm | autotelic
----------------------------
A similar example of Aristotle's list of virtuous traits is included in this book.
September 16, 2017
The inside game of any serious writing is all here. This is a book for people who love words and are interested in how they work and how they interact with each other. It adds depth and meaning to all the things somebody once tried to teach me a long time ago. Sounds and rhythms and meaning and all the vocabulary to talk about how to talk about wordcraft are spelled out in an easy to read and beautifully fashioned hardcover.
December 30, 2021
History-based content, well-organized references, and historic quotations used as examples have formed an interesting and beautiful consulting book.
There are some exceptions to the general compliment above. For example, some vulgar cartoons are among the first pages.
February 4, 2025
My first five star of the year! I absolutely flew through this book, despite its density.
So rarely do I read books these days where I want to share the contents of it with a non-reader, simply because I know that they can also find something interesting in this. Trivium does this. The euphonic section was eye-opening and made me ask my partner: "How have I not noticed this?" The grammar section started with an explanation of etymology and an illustration of Indo-European languages as part of a family tree (the trunk of the tree being the original mother tongue predating historical records). Safe to say, I absolutely geeked out while reading this.
The poetic meter and form section was particularly fun given I recently read both of homer's epic poems and recognised his use of the dactylic hexameter. And considering I also want to get into Shakespeare at some point in my life, reading about his works in this section was riveting for me. I also found a new appreciation for poets, which I'm sure would make the author of this section very pleased. Finally, as a lesbian, it was exciting to read that the poet Sappho used a style of poetic structure called the sapphic ode.
I really loved the logic section of this book, as did my partner. I love learning about fallacies and logical reasoning. There was so much information in this section that my brain was buzzing after. And with the rhetoric section following, reading felt like a reward. I had a vested interest in the rhetoric section as a reader, writer and an individual who loves to win arguments. And I loved the ethics and appendix sections - both of which I will likely refer to in future.
An outstanding book, I can't recommend it enough.
So rarely do I read books these days where I want to share the contents of it with a non-reader, simply because I know that they can also find something interesting in this. Trivium does this. The euphonic section was eye-opening and made me ask my partner: "How have I not noticed this?" The grammar section started with an explanation of etymology and an illustration of Indo-European languages as part of a family tree (the trunk of the tree being the original mother tongue predating historical records). Safe to say, I absolutely geeked out while reading this.
The poetic meter and form section was particularly fun given I recently read both of homer's epic poems and recognised his use of the dactylic hexameter. And considering I also want to get into Shakespeare at some point in my life, reading about his works in this section was riveting for me. I also found a new appreciation for poets, which I'm sure would make the author of this section very pleased. Finally, as a lesbian, it was exciting to read that the poet Sappho used a style of poetic structure called the sapphic ode.
I really loved the logic section of this book, as did my partner. I love learning about fallacies and logical reasoning. There was so much information in this section that my brain was buzzing after. And with the rhetoric section following, reading felt like a reward. I had a vested interest in the rhetoric section as a reader, writer and an individual who loves to win arguments. And I loved the ethics and appendix sections - both of which I will likely refer to in future.
An outstanding book, I can't recommend it enough.
December 15, 2024
Dry as hell, but a reference of indisputable handiness. You would have a hard time learning half as much from any comparable book.
November 3, 2024
Of the countless collections of symbols someone could read, few offer as much potential value for social aspects of life as this one. Its content is comprehensive, thoughtfully structured, and timelessly relevant.
The Trivium incorporates human experiences, expressions, and linguistic developments of over two millennia. Composed of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, it is explored and expanded upon here through six books that build upon each other and serve to develop the reader’s understanding from foundational components of language, such as pronunciations and structure, through logical tools for thinking and reasoning coherently, to rhetorical skills for direction of narrative. Although it does not delve into any of these subjects with remarkable detail, it covers a great breadth of content in decent enough depth to fulfill its purpose. With a thorough understanding and competent application of these arts, one could change the world. It is only appropriate that the later portion of this work contains a section on ethics.
The grammatical portion of this book begins with “Euphonics”, which isolates each letter of the English language and its specific pronunciation(s). This section highlights the importance of sounds in the development of spoken languages. From the scale of individual letters to entire sentences or poems, meanings relate to how humans make sense of sounds and how such sounds have made impressions through the ages. The phenomenon of synesthesia may come to mind when considering the reasons that letters have taken their shapes and pronunciations. Sounds stimulate the senses and, over time, become associated with emotions and ideas. Considering this crucial aspect, we can understand part of why certain words and structures thereof provoke particular thoughts or feelings. The utterances of our ancestors have seeped into our collective consciousness through the ages. Though pronunciations of today have evolved from those of the past, they still have their roots in the impressions that their corresponding stimuli made and continue to make on humans.
Following “Euphonics”, the main “Grammar” section covers larger language components. Here, different types of words, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, are presented with rules on how to position them within clauses, phrases, and sentences. This part of The Trivium is a bit less playful and more strictly informational than others, but it provides foundational tools for understanding the parts that follow.
From “Grammar” the content continues into “Poetic Meter and Form”. Language flows in patterns and these patterns give us poetry. This section explores various rhythms, meters, rhymes, and forms in language and how they influence emotions. As examples for analysis, It includes a moderate breadth of poems and songs from different times and cultures. In this part of the book, most readers might begin to notice the implications of its content. History proves that humans have a fundamental fascination with harmonious arrangements of symbols and sounds. The degree of influence these arrangements hold over people varies from subliminal tiebreaking to hypnotic enchantment. Some songs resonate so deeply with us that they heal psychological wounds we did not know we had. Some poems are so poignant that we remember them our entire lives. Some literary works take us to ideal places made only in our minds. Words can compel people so profoundly that they completely relinquish their reasoning. A bright student of The Trivium should integrate the methods presented here and recognize them in all written and spoken dealings.
The feelings that may accompany “Poetic Meter and Form” are promptly balanced in the following section, “Logic”, which provides a suitable introduction to different tools employed in the art of reason. It begins with a brief mention of the Socratic method, followed by explanations of deductive, inductive, abductive, and analogical ways of forming logical conclusions. Shortly after, it covers one of the most essential parts of communication and debate in society;
Defining Terms.
“Clearly defined terms are essential to the art of reasoning, while unclear or undefined terms are fatal to clear argumentation”. This topic alone has entire books dedicated to it. Particularly In cases of abstract ideas such as
freedom, justice, courage, and so on, debates often seem to have no end because the debaters have diverging definitions of such terms with no tangible object for collective reference. Even those terms are relatively child’s play as debate initiators when compared to God, or any religious terms. Although only two pages are allocated to the subject of definitions here, they concisely provide a practical approach to developing definitions of terms that are useful in everyday life.
“Logic” also delves into commonly committed logical fallacies and argumentative errors that, knowing their names or not, we all have experience with. Referred to here as “devious devices” and more, they include timeless classics like begging the question, ad hominem, false dichotomies, and others. The importance of becoming familiar with these thinking and argumentative errors becomes apparent enough when engaging in any media or political discourse.
Though only occupying fifty-four pages, “Logic” covers a substantial range of content. In essence, the art of reasoning is a means to the pursuit of truth. Still, to know the truth is not always to accept, embrace, or tell the truth. Regardless, sometimes, we should do our best to learn the nature of reality before we make judgments about it or try to manipulate it. As with the rest of The Trivium, the utility of this section can hardly be exaggerated. The tools that it presents have helped develop languages and every other technology. We require them each day to orient ourselves through life and reality. Furthermore, when combined with skills developed from the other sections, an extraordinary ability to influence others can emerge.
The final main component of The Trivium, and probably most intriguing to ambitious individuals, is that of “Rhetoric” or, “The Art of Persuasion”. In this part of the book, the contents of those preceding it combine to provide potent tools for persuading people through their senses, emotions, and minds. Following a brief history of the subject, this section differentiates rhetoric from dialectic and proceeds to explore the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos. It continues through “The Five Canons” of the persuasive process and into rhetorical tools such as alliteration, metaphor, analogy, and others. It emphasizes the effectiveness of these by quoting historically significant speeches, slogans, mantras, and more that utilize them.
Through formal education or not, most of the greatly influential figures from all ages were rhetorically inclined. If logic is for effectively determining truth, then rhetoric serves to direct or alter judgments of it. When competently executed, it can turn the tide of people’s opinions or feelings in favor of whoever speaks or writes it. For anyone seeking power in “the public sphere”, the study and application of this art hold tremendous value, but of course, the skills developed from this content can be used for better or worse. Since power can corrupt, and those who relentlessly pursue it often do so by any means, the most effective means should only be shared with consideration that whoever uses them should do so in a manner conducive to the perpetuation and expansion of life and consciousness.
“Ethics” or “The Art of Character” is included in the late portion of this book to present ways of cultivating principles and practices that make someone worthy of the knowledge shared within The Trivium. Someone could see it as an elaborate way of reminding readers, after “Rhetoric”, not to go and ruin everything for everyone. This part begins with an etymology of “ethics” with an emphasis on its meaning as “The Art of Character” rather than a mere set of rules. Following a few pages on Plato’s Cave, responsibility, and happiness, it introduces virtues that, through repetition, form character into one of excellence. Though many people would assume that virtue lies on the opposite end of one extreme, this book suggests that virtue is instead a harmonious balance between extreme ends of actions and feelings. Courage sits between cowardice and rashness. Truthfulness sits between mock modesty and boastfulness. Wit sits between boorishness and buffoonery. Certain balances between extremes are presented here as “The Cardinal Virtues” of Courage, Moderation, Wisdom, and Justice. The intent of the message here is stated under “Wisdom” (p 322) “..knowing the right action, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason.”. The way that someone might come to “know” this is suggested under “Natural Law” and a few other pages in this section. The later portion of “Ethics” touches on other topics, including human rights, ethical dilemmas, animal ethics, environmental ethics, and more. Though the lessons of this section may challenge someone to exercise virtue even when it is most difficult to do so, there comes a sense of comfort in knowing that such virtue helped all generations before us overcome the brutality of life, allowing us to live today and, if we exercise it ourselves, we can produce a better future for ourselves and those after us. Both ethics and morals often relate to how we balance imminence and eternity. If people perceive this book as a way to become great at manipulation, this section might encourage them to manipulate responsibly.
Even the appendices of this book contain very useful content, including memorization methods and a thought-provoking collection of proverbs.
Over eons, people have passed down knowledge of reality’s nature and patterns in a cumulative manner. To appreciate their efforts, we can simply imagine how everything would be if they had not done so, and we should do our best to learn what we can and perpetuate this practice. The value of this book is worth the time required to read and apprehend its contents. Anyone of good character with the patience to do so will become better from it.
The Trivium incorporates human experiences, expressions, and linguistic developments of over two millennia. Composed of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, it is explored and expanded upon here through six books that build upon each other and serve to develop the reader’s understanding from foundational components of language, such as pronunciations and structure, through logical tools for thinking and reasoning coherently, to rhetorical skills for direction of narrative. Although it does not delve into any of these subjects with remarkable detail, it covers a great breadth of content in decent enough depth to fulfill its purpose. With a thorough understanding and competent application of these arts, one could change the world. It is only appropriate that the later portion of this work contains a section on ethics.
The grammatical portion of this book begins with “Euphonics”, which isolates each letter of the English language and its specific pronunciation(s). This section highlights the importance of sounds in the development of spoken languages. From the scale of individual letters to entire sentences or poems, meanings relate to how humans make sense of sounds and how such sounds have made impressions through the ages. The phenomenon of synesthesia may come to mind when considering the reasons that letters have taken their shapes and pronunciations. Sounds stimulate the senses and, over time, become associated with emotions and ideas. Considering this crucial aspect, we can understand part of why certain words and structures thereof provoke particular thoughts or feelings. The utterances of our ancestors have seeped into our collective consciousness through the ages. Though pronunciations of today have evolved from those of the past, they still have their roots in the impressions that their corresponding stimuli made and continue to make on humans.
Following “Euphonics”, the main “Grammar” section covers larger language components. Here, different types of words, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, are presented with rules on how to position them within clauses, phrases, and sentences. This part of The Trivium is a bit less playful and more strictly informational than others, but it provides foundational tools for understanding the parts that follow.
From “Grammar” the content continues into “Poetic Meter and Form”. Language flows in patterns and these patterns give us poetry. This section explores various rhythms, meters, rhymes, and forms in language and how they influence emotions. As examples for analysis, It includes a moderate breadth of poems and songs from different times and cultures. In this part of the book, most readers might begin to notice the implications of its content. History proves that humans have a fundamental fascination with harmonious arrangements of symbols and sounds. The degree of influence these arrangements hold over people varies from subliminal tiebreaking to hypnotic enchantment. Some songs resonate so deeply with us that they heal psychological wounds we did not know we had. Some poems are so poignant that we remember them our entire lives. Some literary works take us to ideal places made only in our minds. Words can compel people so profoundly that they completely relinquish their reasoning. A bright student of The Trivium should integrate the methods presented here and recognize them in all written and spoken dealings.
The feelings that may accompany “Poetic Meter and Form” are promptly balanced in the following section, “Logic”, which provides a suitable introduction to different tools employed in the art of reason. It begins with a brief mention of the Socratic method, followed by explanations of deductive, inductive, abductive, and analogical ways of forming logical conclusions. Shortly after, it covers one of the most essential parts of communication and debate in society;
Defining Terms.
“Clearly defined terms are essential to the art of reasoning, while unclear or undefined terms are fatal to clear argumentation”. This topic alone has entire books dedicated to it. Particularly In cases of abstract ideas such as
freedom, justice, courage, and so on, debates often seem to have no end because the debaters have diverging definitions of such terms with no tangible object for collective reference. Even those terms are relatively child’s play as debate initiators when compared to God, or any religious terms. Although only two pages are allocated to the subject of definitions here, they concisely provide a practical approach to developing definitions of terms that are useful in everyday life.
“Logic” also delves into commonly committed logical fallacies and argumentative errors that, knowing their names or not, we all have experience with. Referred to here as “devious devices” and more, they include timeless classics like begging the question, ad hominem, false dichotomies, and others. The importance of becoming familiar with these thinking and argumentative errors becomes apparent enough when engaging in any media or political discourse.
Though only occupying fifty-four pages, “Logic” covers a substantial range of content. In essence, the art of reasoning is a means to the pursuit of truth. Still, to know the truth is not always to accept, embrace, or tell the truth. Regardless, sometimes, we should do our best to learn the nature of reality before we make judgments about it or try to manipulate it. As with the rest of The Trivium, the utility of this section can hardly be exaggerated. The tools that it presents have helped develop languages and every other technology. We require them each day to orient ourselves through life and reality. Furthermore, when combined with skills developed from the other sections, an extraordinary ability to influence others can emerge.
The final main component of The Trivium, and probably most intriguing to ambitious individuals, is that of “Rhetoric” or, “The Art of Persuasion”. In this part of the book, the contents of those preceding it combine to provide potent tools for persuading people through their senses, emotions, and minds. Following a brief history of the subject, this section differentiates rhetoric from dialectic and proceeds to explore the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos. It continues through “The Five Canons” of the persuasive process and into rhetorical tools such as alliteration, metaphor, analogy, and others. It emphasizes the effectiveness of these by quoting historically significant speeches, slogans, mantras, and more that utilize them.
Through formal education or not, most of the greatly influential figures from all ages were rhetorically inclined. If logic is for effectively determining truth, then rhetoric serves to direct or alter judgments of it. When competently executed, it can turn the tide of people’s opinions or feelings in favor of whoever speaks or writes it. For anyone seeking power in “the public sphere”, the study and application of this art hold tremendous value, but of course, the skills developed from this content can be used for better or worse. Since power can corrupt, and those who relentlessly pursue it often do so by any means, the most effective means should only be shared with consideration that whoever uses them should do so in a manner conducive to the perpetuation and expansion of life and consciousness.
“Ethics” or “The Art of Character” is included in the late portion of this book to present ways of cultivating principles and practices that make someone worthy of the knowledge shared within The Trivium. Someone could see it as an elaborate way of reminding readers, after “Rhetoric”, not to go and ruin everything for everyone. This part begins with an etymology of “ethics” with an emphasis on its meaning as “The Art of Character” rather than a mere set of rules. Following a few pages on Plato’s Cave, responsibility, and happiness, it introduces virtues that, through repetition, form character into one of excellence. Though many people would assume that virtue lies on the opposite end of one extreme, this book suggests that virtue is instead a harmonious balance between extreme ends of actions and feelings. Courage sits between cowardice and rashness. Truthfulness sits between mock modesty and boastfulness. Wit sits between boorishness and buffoonery. Certain balances between extremes are presented here as “The Cardinal Virtues” of Courage, Moderation, Wisdom, and Justice. The intent of the message here is stated under “Wisdom” (p 322) “..knowing the right action, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason.”. The way that someone might come to “know” this is suggested under “Natural Law” and a few other pages in this section. The later portion of “Ethics” touches on other topics, including human rights, ethical dilemmas, animal ethics, environmental ethics, and more. Though the lessons of this section may challenge someone to exercise virtue even when it is most difficult to do so, there comes a sense of comfort in knowing that such virtue helped all generations before us overcome the brutality of life, allowing us to live today and, if we exercise it ourselves, we can produce a better future for ourselves and those after us. Both ethics and morals often relate to how we balance imminence and eternity. If people perceive this book as a way to become great at manipulation, this section might encourage them to manipulate responsibly.
Even the appendices of this book contain very useful content, including memorization methods and a thought-provoking collection of proverbs.
Over eons, people have passed down knowledge of reality’s nature and patterns in a cumulative manner. To appreciate their efforts, we can simply imagine how everything would be if they had not done so, and we should do our best to learn what we can and perpetuate this practice. The value of this book is worth the time required to read and apprehend its contents. Anyone of good character with the patience to do so will become better from it.
August 15, 2020
The Trivium is the three-subject path through the Liberal Arts if Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric (as opposed to the four-fold path of The Quadrivium: Arithmetic, Music, Geometry, and Cosmology). The Trivium is thought-based (rather than content-based) and hopes to lead to the Liberal Arts gold standard of learning how to learn.
The subjects are broken down into bite-sized histories, anecdotes, and outlines, full of demonstrated quotations and backgrounds. It’s a lot of fun to read, and stands shoulder to shoulder with the more visual The Quadrivium, which I read last year.
May 10, 2022
This is a marvelous book which baffles me with some design decisions.
Most of all the section of logic uses a mixture of fonts which I abhor. I understand that the aim was to highlight various fallacies; however, I do not see why a Trivium book should contain a horror-like dripping font. Nevertheless, this is the beauty of this book. The Trivium combines separate books and thus styles. Sometimes, still, this can leave a feeling of mess.
In general, these styles match the topic well. To my surprise, I enjoyed the most the section of poetry which opened my eyes to many enticing poems and forms.
Most of all the section of logic uses a mixture of fonts which I abhor. I understand that the aim was to highlight various fallacies; however, I do not see why a Trivium book should contain a horror-like dripping font. Nevertheless, this is the beauty of this book. The Trivium combines separate books and thus styles. Sometimes, still, this can leave a feeling of mess.
In general, these styles match the topic well. To my surprise, I enjoyed the most the section of poetry which opened my eyes to many enticing poems and forms.
April 15, 2024
A wonderful book about language, with chapters about Euphonics, Grammar, Poetic Meter & Form, Logic, Rhetoric and Ethics. It contains all the basic knowledge that you need to understand linguistics, and while it was interesting and very educative, it felt a bit slow sometimes. A big part of the book consists of the layout of"new word concerning language -> definition -> example" over and over again, which can get a bit boring. I had to force myself to keep reading this book sometimes, but don't regret reading it, since it was good overall. In particular, the chapters about Euphonics and Ethics captured my attention.
May 1, 2020
I find this book to be a fantastic compendium of the linguistics arts. I hoped I would have had this book when I was in college as it summarises in a great way linguistic matters and it would have come in handy.
October 19, 2023
Remarkable. Fascinating. Rich.
Chances are I will get back to this book again and again.
Ps: I personally disagreed with the relativistic frame of mind which characterises some of the chapters in logic and ethics, but nonetheless, the book is a treasure of beauty and wisdom.
Chances are I will get back to this book again and again.
Ps: I personally disagreed with the relativistic frame of mind which characterises some of the chapters in logic and ethics, but nonetheless, the book is a treasure of beauty and wisdom.
February 5, 2025
Super interesting book. I did lose it while I moved and would only read it in spurts, but I found that I would spend a ton more time researching the topics discussed in the book(s). It really took me a long time but I enjoyed it. Well put together and I learned a lot.
February 26, 2019
Really fun collection of books. Some questionable examples chosen.
March 9, 2019
I won't go back to this. Renaissance art history is much more interesting.
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June 30, 2020An excellent book, but would have loved to have had some exercises/examples in there.
it's worth getting.
it's worth getting.
Currently reading
August 31, 2020This is a kind of anthology. John Michell wrote the first section. Others wrote the rest.
May 24, 2021
This is a great little book which gives a surprisingly comprehensive overview of the topics it covers. Recommend to any and all English nerds.
December 20, 2016
This is a nice coffee table book. It contains information on Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. The examples contained within are from quotes and other sayings. So if you ever wanted to know what a zeugma is and don't feel like Googling it, this book could be for you.
February 5, 2017
This book is a sampler platter. It tries to cover just about every aspect of the trivium, plus some extras, but there isn't space to get into any one topic in any depth, since each gets only one or two pages at most. I liked the book overall, but my feelings about the individual chapters—each written by different authors—varied widely. Luckily for finishing the book, I tended to like each chapter better than the ones before it. "Euphonics" might appeal to many readers; I got tired of it by D and skimmed the rest. I started reading seriously with "Grammar" and "Poetic Meter & Form." The last three, "Logic," "Rhetoric," and "Ethics, were the most fascinating to me, but also the most frustrating because I wanted to know more. The three appendices didn't seem all that closely tied to the chapters, and I could have traded them for more information on the trivium itself. This is a readable, interesting introduction to the trivium, but don't expect to learn much about any one piece of it from this book alone.
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