How can the Blind men and the elephant be?

Question

The Blind Man and the Elephant
It was six men of Indostan
Who went to see the Elephant~(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation~Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall against his broad and sturdy side
"God bless me! but the Elephant ~ Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
This Elephant ~ Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
taking the trunk within his hands, and said
"The Elephant ~ Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out a hand, and felt about the knee.
"'The Elephant ~ Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth touched the elephant.
This Elephant ~ Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth seizing on the tail ~ said, "Its very like a rope!

This story is supposed to teach us that truth is not abslolute and only a matter of perspective.
Problem- If the story is an abslolute truth, it openly refutes itself. If it is not absolute truth, then nothing of the story can be trusted.
Agree?

Answer 1

There is no problem, because the story is not an absolute truth, and nothing in the story can be trusted. However, absolute truth can be found in Holy Scripture where God has revealed his absolute truths to mankind. These are the only absolute truths of which we know.

Answer 2

No. I've referred to it in another answer, but Neil Postman wrote an article several years back called "Confusing Levels of Abstraction" in which he deals with this sort of thing.

His example: If a Cretan says, "All Cretans are liars," then can we believe what this Cretan says?

What Postman suggests--based upon logic--is that there are different levels at which statements are made. The statement about Cretans operates at a different level and does not refer to itself. (The mathematical/logical principle involved here is that a statement about a class of things cannot itself belong to the class of things which it describes.)

Thus, the story can make an absolute claim at a different level than the statements that it is seeking to describe. In Postman's terms, this statement is being made at a different "level of abstraction."

So the story can make an absolute claim about the lack of absolutes.

NOTE: The story suggests that there are no absolutes when it comes to perception. The story does NOT make a claim that there is no such thing as an absolute. There is, after all, an elephant in the story. So while perception may be relative to the one who is perceiving, that does not mean that there are no absolutes out there. It may just be really hard to figure out what they are sometimes, because our perceptions are skewed.

Answer 3

Have you ever heard of a parable? They teach many things without being backed by having the exact events of the tale having happened. Besides what exactly is the absolute truth? I don't think that is truly known. The only real thing that is known is our own perception of truth.

Answer 4

The story is not claiming to be an absolute truth. It is putting forth the idea that many voices are needed to speak a large truth.

Answer 5

"tdw" hit the nail squarely on the head!!!

Aside from all of this..... Would anyone in their right mind trust a blind person to tell them about or explain to them an oil painting? Basic size, shape, texture..... That's it.

Poor example used, both in that story and for any reasoning thereafter of it.

Answer 6

That's a Sufi parable that is supposed to show us that men cannot comprehend the entire nature of God.

Answer 7

There are many truths in the world.

Answer 8

huh whats the question

Answer 9

no. I don't agree. it was made up anyway. man u stupid.