On the Ideas of Liberal Arts Education of Quintilianus

In view of the problems of Roman education which was utilitarian and neglected the learning of basic knowledge,Quintilianus proposed that liberal arts education should be performed before studying rhetoric to base academic education on erudition.Through systematic reasoning,he demonstrated that liberal arts education is not only necessary but also feasible.He argued that the final aim of education is acquiring knowledge,to which the first step is liberal arts education.His views of liberal arts education would help us know better about the idea and significance of general education at universities today.