Perceptions, worldview, behaviours and reflective practice

[Extract] Originally based on a parable from India, the poem The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfry Sax illustrates how six men describe the same elephant. Blind since birth, none had ever seen an elephant. Following their guide Dookiram, they took turns approaching the elephant from different directions to describe its shape and form. Each touched one body part and gave their account. Naturally all accounts were different, leading to a lively argument about how the same animal could be perceived so contrarily. All descriptions were compartmentalised with no consideration to the synergy of the sum of the parts making up the whole (Kuo & Kuo, 1976).

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In the Loop

Autumn 2014

2201-8344

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