A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir, would you say concerning them?"
The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.'
"Very good, sire," replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.
"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'
"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.
"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.
"Brethren", the raja was delighted with the scene. "Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus."
Then the Exalted One rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift,
O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim
For preacher and monk the honored name!
For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.
Jainism and Buddhism. Udana 68-69:
Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
Udana 68-69: We give a version of this well-known Indian tale from the Buddhist canon, but some assert it is of Jain origin. It does illustrate well the Jain doctrine of Anekanta, the many-sidedness of things. Cf. Tattvarthaslokavartika 116, p. 806. Mihir Yast 10.2: Cf. Analects 15.5, p. 1020.
It should be noted that the ancient story makes no reference as to how the observations of the various blind men can be integrated into a whole that will reveal the true nature of the elephant. If we view the observations of the blind men as experiments, we see that the observations are internally correct. The various conclusions, based upon the observations are internally consistent. The error is in the lack of integration of the "experiments" into a compatible whole that links the individual observations of the blind men with the frame of the whole elephant without error.
There exists a comprehensive knowledge base of the Universe. This base includes all facts and knowledge of the Universe. Science since its inception has sought to discover this knowledge base (insofar as it relates to nature) through the scientific experiment. We have reached the point where scientific experimentation by itself will no longer carry the water of accurate knowledge acquisition. In addition to internal accuracy, the results of an experiment must be integrated into and be compatible with the overall knowledge base as has been known from ancient times.
Entropy has caused this ancient view to become distorted. The need for integration and compatibility has become clouded. As in a computer program, the "refresh" button has to be pushed to restore integrity to the art of scientific knowledge acquisition.
Gestalt theory is outside the main stream of philosophical thinking. However, it is this view that is needed (similar to the concept of the "multi-sidedness" of Jainism) to restore compatibility between individual scientific experiments and the general science base. In addition to the question, "What conclusions can be drawn from a new experiment", the additional question, "are the conclusions of the new experiment compatible with the general science base" must be asked. Because of the natural tendency for human error in inserting fresh experimental data into the science knowledge base, the science base should be constantly tested for internal compatibility and consistency between its parts (as are the axioms of Euclid). Only in this way can a reliable science base be assured.
Without a reliable science base, no "Proper Foundation for Physics is possible". The current physics knowledge base is flawed as is generally recognized. This error has been caused by admission of faulty experiments into the science base. Inductive Analysis is a tool that can cleanse the physics knowledge base and more.
For more information about Inductive Analysis, see appended paper: Inductive Analysis.
Copyright © 2000 Stan
ley Fay White