The Blind Men and the Elephant

Lately I keep coming back to the parable of The Blind Men and the Elephant.

This morning I remembered an assignment from a teacher; "Describe a safety pin to an alien with no understanding of our culture". I did not come close, even to myself, and I tried! How would I answer the question now? I started by listing the elements, iron and nickel, to go into a safety pin. Once those elements have been combined they are then extruded into a wire. And there I paused. Would the alien know what extruded meant? Come to think of it, would the alien's knowledge give them understanding of what iron and nickel is? Hmmm. For me to describe a safety pin I must first have an understanding of what the alien knows and their view the world.

And up pops the parable of the The Blind Men and the Elephant, again!

As a computer programmer I adjust my vocabulary and level of detail based on the technical level of the participants in a discussion. Adjusting to their view. As I hope they adjust to mine.

For me to work with you I must first stop and listen to you.