Liberal arts are the organized bodies of knowledge considered essential for a free human being. They originated in ancient Greece and Rome and included two groups of studies. One group dealt with the correct use of language (grammar), thinking clearly (logic), and expressing one’s ideas persuasively (rhetoric). The second group included the branches of mathematics and music. Originally, these branches were arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and harmony. Out of these traditional studies came the curriculum of the liberal arts and sciences, which is grouped into the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Colleges in the United States that concentrate on these studies are usually called liberal arts colleges.
