The liberal arts have been under attack by critics who say that this kind of education doesn't lead to jobs. But if you plan your education properly, a liberal arts college can be your single biggest ticket to success. The secret? A New Trivium that teaches the art of leadership.

1. The RFactor
HOW TO TURN A LIBERAL ARTS DEGREE INTO GOLD
Jay Heinrichs
@jayheinrichs

2. These days many people challenge
the value of a liberal arts education.
It’s expensive, and it fails to lead
directly to a job.

3. "[A] lot of young people no
longer see the trades and
skilled manufacturing as a
viable career. But I promise
you, folks can make a lot
more, potentially, with
skilled manufacturing or
the trades than they might
with an art history degree.”
President Barack Obama
President Obama has said
you should think twice
about the liberal arts. And
he graduated with a liberal
arts degree.
(From Columbia, which requires
students to take art history!)

4. "If I’m going to take money
from a citizen to put into
education then I’m going to
take that money to create
jobs. So I want that money
to go to degrees where
people can get jobs in this
state. Is it a vital interest of
the state to have more
anthropologists? I don’t
think so."
Fla. Governor Rick Scott
Other politicians have
joined in, claiming the
liberal arts don’t lead to
employment.

5. In a sense, the politicians are right.
In a 2013 survey of 1,000 hiring managers, fewer
than 20% said recent grads were prepared for a job
in their field of study.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/31/more-than-a-college-degree/3324303/

6. What is going on?
And what can you do
about it?

7. First, look at what a liberal
arts college
is for…

8. A liberal education has never
trained students for their first job.

9. "Once upon a time, 'trainee'
used to be a common job
title. Now companies
expect everyone, recent
graduates included, to be
ready to go on Day One.
The mantle of preparing the
work force, has been
passed to higher ed.”
Philip D. Gardner, director
Collegiate Employment Research Institute
Michigan State University
The companies did
that themselves.

10. Don’t expect college to train you for
an entry-level job. The liberal arts
don’t do that.

11. That’s what internships are for.

12. Yet, employers say they don’t want
trained graduates.
Employers want educated graduates.

13. 93% of employers say…
“A candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think
critically, communicate clearly, and solve
complex problems is more important than their
undergraduate major.”
Hart Research Associates, survey of 318 employers, 2013

14. 3 of 4 employers…
Want more emphasis on:
• Critical thinking
• Complex problem-solving
• Written and oral communication
• Applied knowledge in real-world settings

15. Most employers say they want graduates with
critical thinking ability.
Most parents agree that critical thinking is a
major outcome.
And most faculty and college presidents list
critical thinking as a chief outcome of a liberal
education.
Source: John Pryor, Senior Research Scientist (Higher Education), Gallup

16. Employers want critical thinking.
Parents want critical thinking.
Professors and administrators say the liberal
arts teach critical thinking.
So companies should snap up every art history
major, right?
So what’s the problem?

17. While everyone seems
to agree that critical
thinking is a key
outcome of a college
education, no one can
agree on a definition of
critical thinking.
John Pryor, Senior Researcher (Higher
Education), Gallup
The problem is, employers,
parents, and educators can’t
come up with a common
definition of critical thinking,
let alone describe how a
liberal education teaches it.

18. Maybe critical thinking is just, you know, thinking. Or not
being stupid or careless. But I believe critical thinking
means more than that.

19. “Critical thinking is
evaluating whether we
should be convinced that
some claim is true or
some argument is good,
as well as formulating
good arguments.”
Pretty good
definitions
are out there…

20. “Critical thinking is the
process to determine
whether we are justified
in holding an opinion or
belief.”
But most fail
to tell how
a specific
curriculum
or major
actually produces
critical
thinking.
–Philosophy 101

21. Let me propose
some criteria for
critical thinking,
keeping in mind
the needs of
employers.
• Ability to communicate
across cultures and time, in
order to understand the
deep background of an
issue, and to overcome
provincial prejudices.
• Ability to evaluate and
measure theories and
propositions; not just
logically but numerically,
through an understanding
of data.
• Inoculation against
manipulation, and the ability
to create consensus.

22. To see what kind of education leads to
critical thinking, let’s look at some of the
original critical thinkers: the ancient
Greeks and Romans who invented the
liberal arts.

23. In ancient times, the liberal arts (artes
liberales) formed the education for free
(“liberal”) citizens. These were people
liberated from having to work for others.

24. The first three liberal arts:
Grammar
Written and oral fluency in Greek and Latin, a deep understanding
of literature, and an ability to communicate with elites across
nation-states and empires.
Logic
The study and use of reasoning; the disciplined pursuit of truth.
Rhetoric
The art of persuasion.

25. These arts did more than foster critical thinking.
They prepared students to lead.

26. Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Who, What, When, Where
Why
How

27. During the Middle Ages, four more
arts joined the original three.
• Grammar
• Logic
• Rhetoric
• Music
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Astronomy (or Astrology)

28. The first three were called the Trivium.
The other four became the Quadrivium.
• Grammar
• Logic
• Rhetoric
• Music
• Arithmetic
• Geometry
• Astronomy (or Astrology)
(The Trivium is the origin
of the word “trivial.” Haters
gotta hate.)

29. Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Arithmetic
Geometry
Astronomy
The original Trivium prepared young
people for leadership, teaching them
critical thinking and other skills they
needed to take their roles in society.
But in light of current employers’ needs,
the Trivium can use a little updating.

30. What if we took all 7 liberal arts and boiled them
down to 3? We could create a
NEW TRIVIUM
—a liberal education suited for leadership today.

31. Keep in mind my earlier
description of critical thinking.
• Ability to communicate across cultures and time, in
order to understand the deep background of an
issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices.
• Ability to evaluate and measure issues, questions,
theories, and propositions—not just logically but
numerically, through an understanding of data.
• Inoculation against psychological manipulation,
and the ability to create a consensus.

32. Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions; not
just logically but numerically, through an understanding of data.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Arithmetic
Geometry
Astronomy
It seems natural to combine Arithmetic
and Geometry into a single art:
Math.

33. Arithmetic
Geometry
+
MATH
+

34. Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions;
not just logically but numerically, through an understanding of data.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Arithmetic
Geometry
Astronomy
And while we’re at it, how about including
Astronomy, which from the beginning as
depended heavily on
Math?

35. Arithmetic
Geometry
Astronomy
+
MATH & SCIENCE

36. Critical thinking: Evaluate and measure theories and propositions;
not just logically but numerically, through an understanding of data.
While the scientific method is important for any citizen to know,
the key asset of Math & Science for leadership purposes is the
ability to understand the use of numbers. So, if you were to
combine Math & Science into a single, 21st-century career-oriented
art, you could call it the Art of Numbers, or the Art of
Data. But this art is more than about merely understanding
numbers. It’s an art of leadership—or using data to bring about
choices. So let’s call it:
Decision Metrics
Mathematics Natural Sciences Physics Astronomy Sociology Economics

37. Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Decision Metrics
Our New Trivium has 5
remaining arts.
Let’s try to get it down to 3.
(Otherwise, it’s not a Trivium!)

38. Grammar doesn’t seem very useful. Isn’t
that just nouns and verbs—things you
learn in grammar school?
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Decision Metrics

39. Critical thinking: communicate across cultures and time, in order to understand the
deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices.
Grammar
The ability to absorb and communicate messages across
cultures and time.
But go back to the ancients. They
taught grammar as an essential
art of leadership. So let’s not
throw out Grammar right away.

40. How about Music? Doesn’t it help us
communicate across cultures and time?
Let’s absorb it into Grammar.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Music
Decision Metrics

41. Critical thinking: communicate across cultures and time, in order to understand
the deep background of an issue, and to overcome provincial prejudices.
Most of the humanities fall under this art.
GRAMMAR
History Literature Languages Anthropology & Archaeology
Women’s Studies African-American Studies American Studies
Religion Performing Arts Visual Arts Art History Classics

42. We’re down to 4. So let’s go back
to the traits of critical thinking.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Decision Metrics

43. • Communicate across cultures and
time, in order to understand the
deep background of an issue, and
to overcome provincial prejudices.
• Evaluate and measure theories
and propositions; not just logically
but numerically, through an
understanding of data.
• Resist manipulation, create
consensus.
Grammar seems to cover this well.
The Art of Data (math & science) works
here. But so does Logic.
Rhetoric is made for this one.
Critical Thinking

44. Let’s take a closer look at Logic.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Decision Metrics

45. Logic
The study and use of reasoning; the disciplined pursuit of truth.
This seems like the most important art of all,
doesn’t it? It certainly is important to learn.
But logic is difficult to isolate from the
manipulative aspects of argument—from
emotions and issues of identity.

46. Aristotle
himself said
this.
The man who invented logic
as we know it said that
emotions and identity tend to
be more persuasive in the
real world. He blamed this on
our “sorry human nature.”

47. So while it’s important to teach Logic, we
should set it in the context of real-world
persuasion. That means combining it with
Rhetoric.
Grammar
Logic
Rhetoric
Decision Metrics

48. Aristotle wrote his book, Rhetoric, late in life—
after he wrote Logic. Rhetoric was the
culmination of his thinking on human thought.

49. As tutor to young Alexander of Macedon, Aristotle shared
the leadership secrets of Rhetoric. Alexander not only
conquered peoples, he won hearts. His Hellenic Empire
formed the basis of Western civilization.

50. Critical thinking: resist manipulation, evaluate arguments, create consensus.
Here you probe deep into the human brain, both
individual and social.
RHETORIC
Rhetoric Philosophy Neuroscience Linguistics Speech

51. “Rhetoric is the art of
influence, friendship, and
eloquence, of ready wit and
irrefutable logic.
Rhetoric lies behind
political labeling,
advertising, jargon, voices,
gestures, and guilt trips; it
forms a real-life Matrix, the
supreme software that
drives our social lives.
And the study of rhetoric is
that software’s decoder.”
Jay Heinrichs
Thank You for Arguing
The R Factor.

52. New Trivium
Grammar
Art of absorbing and communicating messages across cultures and time.
Decision Metrics
Art of gathering, interpreting, and making decisions from large sets of data.
Rhetoric
Ability to argue, evaluate the argument of others, and bring about consensus.

53. New Trivium
Grammar
Rhetoric
Decision Metrics
The New Trivium does not
exclude the other subjects. But it
helps you make sure you get the
range of arts that lead you to your
most productive career.

54. What are the real risks of
Ebola? How can we
measure them?
that risks encompass Africa’s culture, the global economy, the political

55. Where in the world does
poetry make +
money?
Why?
exactly is poetry. Can a computer algorithm qualify? What does poetry

56. Explain the Kardashians
and what might +
be done
about them.
such as the Kardashians. How does the family qualify as “influencers”

57. Using data and your knowledge of
American culture, gather political
+
insights from Burning Man and the
Electric Daisy Carnival.
Surprisingly, though, there’s little overlap between these desert audiences.

58. Is Millennial generation
+
a useful generalization?
those based on birth dates, are both necessary and misleading. They

59. Find a problem that affects many people’s
lives. Gather a dedicated team to solve it—
in a way that’s sustainable +
economically and
environmentally, and that personally makes
you money.
beats them all. Answer it, and you have answered the question, “How

60. The Good News
• You can get an excellent background in Grammar
at any good liberal arts college. Your major
matters little for future employment, unless you
intend to apply to graduate school.
• Decision metrics are readily available as well, so
long as the college offers a course in statistics.
• Rhetoric is the fastest-growing discipline in higher
education.

61. The Bad News
• Rhetoric is almost completely unavailable in the
Ivy League and the top 10 small colleges ranked
by US News & World Report. The New Trivium is
impossible unless you’re lucky enough to attend a
school like Lewis & Clark.

62. The R Factor
Rhetoric takes what you learned in college and
applies it in the world, arguing, proposing, gathering
people, building consensus.
It the first of all liberal arts, and the most revered
course among the ancients.
Of all the modern liberal arts, rhetoric offers the most
hope for the the future of liberal education. It is the
most important factor in critical thinking. And it ties
higher education to the marketplace and our
democracy.

63. What you should do
1
Simply studying mathematics or science is not
enough for decision metrics. Take a course in
statistics, and a year-long course in economics.
Make sure you understand the art of quantification.

64. What you should do
2
Take courses in rhetorical theory and practice. You
should graduate knowing how to speak and write
persuasively (your ability to speak will outweigh
your ability to write). In addition, take at least one
psychology course.

65. What you should do
3
If you are a science major, take as many history
courses as you can. Study cultures other than your
own. The more uncomfortable they make you, the
better.

66. What you should do
4
If you want a job out of college, apply for
internships. Employers say they are the
biggest factor in getting a first job.

67. What you should do
5
Plan to go to graduate school. But study in college for leadership.
Regardless of your profession, it’s likely that by mid-career you will
lead people, make proposals, build consensus. You will use data to
make decisions. And you will communicate across vast spaces to
people of different backgrounds. And here is where you need the
New Trivium

68. Want more on the R
Factor?
• Educators: Go to ArgueLab.com and learn how to get a
sample copy of my book on argument.
• High school students: Take an AP literature course;
odds are pretty good that the course teaches Thank
You for Arguing.
• Word lovers: wordhero.com contains a list of figures of
speech and tropes, with explanations and examples.
• Critical thinkers: Tweet think about the New Trivium:
@jayheinrichs.

69. Jay Heinrichs “brings the art of persuasion to
the masters of manipulation,” according to
Bloomberg Businessweek. Clients have
included Southwest Airlines, Walmart, Ogilvy
UK, Mindshare, Harvard, Dartmouth, Kaiser
Permanente, the National Association of
Realtors, NASA, and the Pentagon.
He is the author of the bestselling Thank
You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln,
and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About
the Art of Persuasion. Now in its second
edition, the book has been published in six
languages and used in more than 3,000
college courses.
Jay has worked as a journalist, magazine
editor, and manager. He is a former editorial
director at Rodale and content VP of a major
dotcom. He lives in New Hampshire.
You can contact him at JayHeinrichs.com.