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    What is an elephant test?

    Question #97107. Asked by author. (Jun 29 08 4:08 PM)


    BRY2K

    		The term elephant test refers to the ability to recognize something while being unable to describe it. It may be derived from a version of the Indian tale of the Blind Men and an Elephant, possibly from the John Godfrey Saxe poem "The Blindmen and the Elephant".

    The poem explains how six blind men each feel only one part of an elephant and come to argue that it is similar to a wall, a spear, a snake, a tree, a fan, and a rope, respectively: each has a completely different interpretation of what an elephant is like, and the complete description can only be derived by combining their information.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_test

    Jun 29 08, 4:39 PM
    davejacobs

    		It seems strange that the phrase is purportedly derived from that tale of the blind elephant feelers, since far from being able to recognise it as an elephant without being able to describe it, they seem to be able to describe it (or their part of it) without being able to recognise it.

    Jun 30 08, 1:06 AM

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