Disputes the argument that aesthetic education is important because it contributes to learning the three Rs, and argues that aesthetic education should be considered a fourth R because aesthetic response is "a primary form of experience on which all cognition, judgment, and action depend." (Author/JG)

The case for the inclusion of aesthetic education with the traditional basic courses of reading, writing, and arithmetic is examined. The following points are emphasized in regarding arts education as a basic: (1) Aesthetic experience is basic because it is a primary form of experience on which all cognition, judgment, and action depend. It is the…