This is illustrated by the parable of five blind men walking into an elephant.
Each tries to describe what they’ve bumped into.
One blind man feels the side of the elephant.
He says, ‘An elephant is like a wall.’
Another blind man feels the elephant’s trunk.
He says, ‘No, an elephant is like a snake.’
The third blind man feels the leg.
He says, ‘You’re both wrong, an elephant is like a tree.’
The fourth blind man feels the tusk.
He says, ‘Sorry, but an elephant is like a spear.’
The fifth blind man feels the tail.
He says ‘You’re all wrong, an elephant is like a piece of rope.’
All of the blind men mistake their little bit of truth for the whole truth.
Excerpt from: One Plus One Equals Three: A Masterclass in Creative Thinking by Dave Trott
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