Introduction. In the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant (see Sidebar), by John Godfrey Saxe, each of the 6 blind men from Indostan evaluated an elephant from his perspective.

A blind man asked his blind friends what an elephant was like. His friends did not know. So, they found an elephant. One of the men was holding the trunk and said, “An elephant is like a snake.” ...

A group of blind men, curious about the elephant, decided to inspect it by touch. The first man, feeling the trunk, declared, “This being is like a thick snake!” The second, touching the ...