liberality

a lot (conservatism, too!)

liberal arts degree doesn't mean a. for boys (lad), b. art, or c. not-conservative!
it refers to liberation, liberty, freedom,
how to be free, an education for free citizens, those in a free society
   (i.e. not constrained, subjugated, incarcerated, imprisoned)

   -the truth will set you free

all truth passes through 3 stages, first it is ridiculed, then it is violently opposed, then it is accepted as being self-evident.

truth, by my lights, is in arts, sciences, education (and curiosity, internet, books, libraries)
"lib aces", bile sac, lol
(plus, of course, plain old wisdom of time and experience)

arts means skills, (not just music, theater, dancing, painting, etc)
the middle ages (5th - 15th centuries, in europe) had the "mechanical arts" and the "liberal arts"
the liberal arts were the quadrivium (maga!) and the trivium (grl!)
  quad: music, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy ("mathematical" arts)
  tri: grammar, rhetoric, logic
(i was in the school of arts and letters, at UCDavis)

(the mechanical arts were things like weaving, warfare, metallurgy, masonry, agriculture, cooking, trade)

a liberal education (ale!) is to provide
the knowledge (biblical? lol) and skills/abilities/talents (sat!)
to be a productive members of society (pms!)
    and meet the challenges of the future (i met a cf, in college)

it encompasses art, humanities, social sciences, math, nature and physical sciences.
it fosters critical thinking, clear communication, analyzing and solving complex problems, understanding the physical world, appreciating and working with others...
     free-thinking in a free society
(liberal education, liberal arts education, and liberal arts and sciences- all the same thing)

the truth is never pure, and rarely simple. -Oscar Wilde