Conclusion: The Connections among the Arts

Summary

[A]nyone with a mastery of only one field should provide for the student the means of accessing other fields; and should he have a mastery of multiple fields of knowledge, it is incumbent upon him to direct [the student] step by step [through the sciences] as he advances from one stage to another.

Al-Ghazâlî, “The Book of Knowledge,” Iḥyā′ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn [The Revival of the Religious Sciences]

It is in the seven liberal arts, however, that the foundation of all learning is to be found […] Therefore, those persons seem to me to be in error who, not appreciating the coherence among the arts, select certain of them for study, and leaving the rest untouched, think they can become perfect in these alone.

Hugh of Saint Victor, Didascalicon

Hugh of Saint Victor is, of course, referencing the seven liberal arts represented by the trivium and the quadrivium, but his assertion is equally as valid to our modern understanding of the liberal arts. While we have examined the three categories or cultures of the modern liberal arts separately in this book, it is essential to remember that modes of knowledge rarely operate in isolation, rather, they serve to enhance and support each other—thus Al-Ghazâlî's admonition to teachîers to ensure students receive training in multiple disciplines. Appreciating, investigating, and applying the interconnectedness is the essence of being liberally educated—and the essence of studying the Middle Ages. Studying the literature of the period without studying history is only understanding part of the picture. Studying the science without studying religion is to ignore medieval worldviews.

Of the studies and ideas introduced in this book, the vast majority draw on methodologies and concepts from multiple fields. The way medieval studies disciplines build off of each other is reflective of how the liberal arts disciplines interact. Rather than being separate bodies of knowledge and sets of skills, the liberal arts cultures complement each other and work together to lead to important discoveries and, more importantly, to a more complete understanding of the human experience. Just as the various approaches to disability combine to form a whole, the liberal arts combine to provide insight into our whole existence.