Скачать или смотреть The Blind Men and the Elephant

There is a well-known story, found in many Dharmic traditions, known as The Blind Men and the Elephant. It's probably one of the most important stories anyone can learn. It goes like this:
Once upon a time, there were some blind men who heard about a strange new animal coming into town called an elephant. Of course, the blind men couldn't see, but they were curious about what the #elephant was like, and so they went out and felt it.

The first man, who held the trunk, said, “Oh, it's a bit like a snake.”

The second man, though, who touched an ear, said, “A snake? No, it's more like a fan, I'd say.”

And the third man, who felt the tail, said, “A fan? Are you mad? It's more like a rope.”

The fourth person, who had his hand on the tusk, said, “No, no, no. Nonsense. It's more like a spear. It's smooth and hard.”

In one way, the #story of The Blind Men and the Elephant is about #truth . We each have our unique position on the world, and we declare our perspective as the truth. But the #parable runs deeper than that, because each of the blind men reveals an element of the truth. None of them is wrong, but their collective perspectives come closer to the actual fact of the matter.

In this way, the parable is about #collaboration . It's about hearing people's stories and swapping tales. It's all about that #philosophical drive to shift perspective and examine the world anew.

We are all blind men groping at different parts of the elephant, and everybody you meet will have an exciting and valuable perspective to offer you.

#philosophy #epistemology