You might want to look up the definition of necessary! > Music and the arts have long been documented as wonderful ways to enhance abstract thinking. That is

You might want to look up the definition of necessary! > Music and the arts have long been documented as wonderful ways to enhance abstract thinking. That is entirely consistent with them not being necessary to develop abstract thinking :) I was just being logical, and trying to provide some subtle humor by giving the dry reply of a caricatured technophile rationalist to OP's evident enthusiasm for the arts.