THE FALLACY OF PERFECT OBVIOUSNESS IN AESTHETIC EDUCATION

Abstract

"The fallacy of perfect obviousness" lies in wait for any teacher, once he or she loses sight of the conceptual processes by which are acquired the perceptions that experts in a field exercise "instinctively". Dr. Schiralli points out that in this respect aesthetic education does not differ from other fields that may seem to be more clearly dependent upon concept formations. Art education too has its groundwork of concept building, which will enable a teacher to develop strategies for helping students to see in a picture the things that strike him or her as perfectly obvious.

This apparently simple proposition has implications for the learner's grasp of the "basics" in any field. It is rare to find a philosophical treatment that strikes so plainly at the heart of methodology.