The scenario of instructional development presented makes a case for relying on recent refinements of the computer as a tool for giving form to human knowledge. The computer is described as having a high capability to form ideas into a variety of shapes, and vary those shapes to appeal to people's sense of abstraction. The history of the development of computer graphics is traced, numerous illustrations of computer generated graphic displays are provided, and some of the implications of computer graphics for people who specialize in the communication of ideas are explored. Four references are listed. (Author/CMV)